Georgian opposition leader urges US sanctions on Ivanishvili over “Russia, Iran ties”

Tina Bokuchava, chairwoman of the opposition bloc Unity – National Movement, on Friday called on the United States to impose sanctions on the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and its honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as his close associates, accusing him of aligning Georgia with adversaries of the West, including Russia and Iran.

Bokuchava made the remarks in response to the US Megobari Act.

Speaking about the bill, Bokuchava praised US Congressman Joe Wilson, a key supporter of the initiative and head of the US delegation to the OSCE. She highlighted Wilson’s ongoing efforts to draw American attention to Georgia’s strategic importance, especially amid heightened US focus on the war in Ukraine.

“Concrete steps, such as sanctioning Ivanishvili and his entourage, are necessary for the US to have more leverage against the Ivanishvili regime,” Bokuchava said. She alleged that the former prime minister, “widely seen as the country’s shadow leader,” cooperates “not only with Russia, but also with a state declared an enemy of the US, such as Iran.”

Bokuchava emphasized that protecting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path was “crucial for its democratic development and regional stability.” She further said the current political alignment of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which she claims was under Ivanishvili’s influence, undermined those goals.