Russian Foreign Ministry’s May 23 statement is an attempt to interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs to which leaders of the ongoing protest rally are also contributing, a senior Georgian ruling party lawmaker said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that “Saakashvili’s regime” should stop “using forceful methods” against protesters, otherwise “it will lead to further escalation… and destabilization.”

“This is an attempt to interfere in internal affairs of other country and those people, who are holding rallies, are contributing to that, plus contributing to creating sense of destabilization,” MP Akaki Minashvili, who chairs parliamentary committee for foreign affairs, told Civil.ge.

“Their [leaders of the protest] rhetoric, as well as values and principles coincide with those [of Russia],” he said.

Minashvili said that Russia’s attempts to meddle into Georgian affairs were doomed for a failure and added that it was “ridiculous,” when the Russian Federation, “one of the most authoritarian countries expresses criticism about of democracy and human right.”

Like other Georgian officials, he also reiterated that the authorities had no intention to drop plans about holding the military parade on May 26 to mark the Independence Day.

Leader of the ongoing protests Nino Burjanadze announced that the protesters would not let the authorities to hold the parade “quietly” and “comfortably”.

“The military parade is not a governmental event; it’s about marking the Independence Day, which should be respected by everyone,” MP Minashvili said. “Tbilisi is large enough to hold a protest rally somewhere else.”