TBILISI, July 8. /TASS/. By using foul language in his outburst against the Russian leadership, the host of Georgia’s Rustavi 2 opposition TV channel Giogri Gabunia sought to exacerbate Georgian-Russian relations and make them even more tense, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

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"We strongly condemn Rustavi 2 television’s statements, which have nothing to do with freedom of speech and which are a sheer provocation aimed at making Georgian-Russian relations, complex as they are, even more tense," the statement reads.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry called on the global community and all organizations working on media freedom to come up with their assessment of the TV channel’s actions.

On Sunday, Gabunia used foul language when referring to the Russian leadership. His profane remarks lasted for more than a minute.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze, former Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and ex-Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze strongly condemned the incident. Nika Gvaramia, Director General of the Rustavi 2 TV channel, likewise criticized Gabunia for his remarks. The TV host’s statements also triggered negative response from a large number of Georgian Facebook users.