Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday condemned recent sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department on the country’s citizens, calling them “frivolous” and suggesting they were aimed at influencing Georgia’s upcoming elections.
At a government briefing, Kobakhidze criticized the sanctions, arguing that they come at a politically sensitive time and could be intended to sway the election results. He asserted that such measures would not revive the previous United National Movement administration and would only further alienate Georgian citizens from the previous regime’s return.
Kobakhidze emphasized that the sanctions were a “regrettable development” amid a strained period in Georgian-American relations. He pointed out that past conflicts, including issues involving former American ambassador Kelly Degnan, had already tested the partnership between the two nations. Despite this, he claimed the Georgian government had “remained open” to dialogue.
The Prime Minister suggested that the sanctions could be linked to the pre-election period and the perceived need to address alleged oligarchic influence within American institutions. He argued that these steps were counterproductive and that the Georgian public’s response would be to reject the UNM and its legacy of violence and corruption.
Kobakhidze expressed readiness to restart relations with the United States but criticized what he saw as oligarchic forces influencing the US State Department. He clarified that the Georgian government did not hold the US State Department responsible for the sanctions but rather the “external influences affecting its decisions”.
The US Treasury Department’s sanctions target four individuals for serious human rights violations. Included are Zviad Kharazishvili, the head of the Department of Special Tasks, and his deputy Miller Lagazauri, as well as Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze from the [ro-Russian Alt Info group, associated with extremist activities. Additionally, the US State Department has imposed visa restrictions on over 60 Georgians involved in “undermining democracy”.
