US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan says that no one is asking the Georgian government to come up with bilateral sanctions against Russia. However, the ambassador stated that it is important for Georgia to comply with the international sanction regime on the country which has recently invaded Ukraine.

“Georgia is complying with international sanctions. Many of the sanctions may not affect Georgia directly. So I think it’s important to keep this in perspective and understand that Georgia, just like most countries, will be complying with international sanctions to the extent they can,” Degnan said.

She stated that there are consequences for any country that did comply with an international sanctions regime.

“ We all know that. So, again, I think that the key thing here is that we all are sending a unified message in support of Ukraine, and one of the ways to do that is by complying with the international sanctions regimes,” Degnan said.

She stated that after the Russia-Georgia war in 2008, there were a billion dollars allocated in support of Georgia, “and there has been considerable investment by my country and other countries in helping Georgia strengthen its deterrence capabilities.”

“ The Georgia Defense Forces are quite a bit stronger than in 2008 as a result of the strong security cooperation and partnership that Georgia has with the United States and other friends of Georgia. In this situation, what is really important is that we all show a unified front to this Russian aggression that is killing thousands of Ukrainian civilians and devastating Ukrainian towns,” Degnan stated.

She noted that the sanctions are intended to influence Russia’s behavior, “and I would just say clearly, no one is asking Georgia’s government to come up with bilateral sanctions if they don’t want to, if that’s not what they’ve decided they should do. Bilateral sanctions are for Georgia’s government to decide.”

She stated that  Georgia has always been a good partner in complying with international sanctions, whether against Iran or other countries that are working against the interests of countries like Georgia and the United States “and all of our countries that believe in freedom and stability and security.”