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TEHRAN, Jul 9 - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he was against imposing sanctions on Georgia after MPs backed economic measures in Russia's latest row with the neighboring Caucasus country.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - "With regard to sanctions against Georgia, I would not do this out of respect for the Georgian people," Putin told journalists in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
"I would not do anything to complicate our relations," he added.
Earlier Tuesday Russian lawmakers adopted a resolution in favor of introducing economic sanctions against Georgia, as tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi rise.
Lawmakers in Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, unanimously backed a statement urging the imposition of "special economic measures on Georgia, where anti-Russian provocations continue".
Their statement did not recommend specific measures but lawmakers have raised the possibility of banning Georgian wine and mineral water in Russia, as well as limiting financial transactions.
Protesters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi have rallied over the past weeks after a Russian MP spoke in the Georgian parliament. Moscow responded by tightening restrictions on wine imports and suspending flights to Georgia.
Tensions rose further after a Georgian television presenter on Sunday evening launched into a live, expletive-laden tirade against Putin, sparking fury in Moscow.
"We consider the insults to our country, threats to our citizens and insults to our president inadmissible," Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin was quoted as saying on the Duma website.
The Kremlin said earlier Tuesday that the parliament's "tough" and "unified" position followed "the unprecedented behaviour of the Georgian TV presenter".
"This kind of thuggish behavior fuels Russophobia. This is very dangerous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Source: AFP
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