PM Kobakhidze: Ivanishvili can’t be intimidated by sanctions

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has claimed that billionaire founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, was not afraid of Western sanctions, noting that since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, he had effectively been subject to “informal sanctions,” including frozen assets.

“You cannot intimidate this man with sanctions,” Kobakhidze told journalists Friday, dismissing speculation that certain businessmen were lobbying Western leaders to avoid sanctions against the ruling party founder.

The prime minister also said that Georgia had only one official “business envoy” - the minister of economy.

“Our partners, including those abroad, are addressed on economic and business issues exclusively by the economy minister, as this is her mandate,” he said. “Businesspersons may speak in their own name to anyone, but when it comes to the government, the economy minister represents the country both domestically and internationally.”