Georgia not imposing bilateral sanctions on Iran, PM Kobakhidze

Georgia is not imposing any bilateral sanctions on Iran, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Thursday, calling such a move “absurd and wrong”.

Kobakhidze made the comments in response to a question about the suspension of flights by Iranian airlines to Georgia.

“We are not imposing any bilateral sanctions on Iran. That would be absurd and wrong,” Kobakhidze told journalists.

He said Georgia was instead acting in accordance with existing sanctions regimes imposed by relevant international institutions and states.

“You know that we take sanctions regimes into account. Relevant sanctions were introduced and, because Georgia always takes sanctions regimes into consideration when specific institutions and states impose such sanctions on different countries, we also made the relevant decision,” he said.

The official reiterated that the government's decision regarding Iranian flights should not be interpreted as Georgia imposing its own bilateral sanctions on Iran.