US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has stated that she had no information whether any sanctions were planned against the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili, noting that sanctions against Russia was “a very effective tool”. 

“I can say that sanctions are a very important tool, and they can be very effective, as we are seeing in Russia; and as we will continue to see in Russia over the coming months as the sanctions that the world has imposed against Russia continue to take effect. The United States doesn’t preview our sanctions policies.  We don’t announce them until they are imposed, and that’s all I have to say”, Degnan said during the Tbilisi International Conference on Tuesday. 

Speaking about Georgia’s prospects for the European Union candidacy, the Ambassador said that the 12 recommendations, set by the EU for Georgia’s membership candidate status, “ really do need to be the focus of Georgia’s leaders and really all Georgians right now.” 

“This is an important opportunity for the country. It’s a very normal process to have different views about how to address the 12 recommendations, and it would send a very strong signal to the European Union and Georgia to integrate the different views that are being put forth. Good work is being done on how to respond to the 12 recommendations,” Degnan said. 

She stated that the current task was to “ bring those together into an integrated document that reflects the diversity of the views here in Georgia. The European Union wants to see that unity of voice brought together”.