PM Kobakhidze slams Baltic States’ sanctions decision as “provocation”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday condemned the recent sanctions by Lithuania and Estonia on Georgian officials, including on him for suspension of EU integration and subsequent dispersal of protests, calling it “a simple provocation” and expressing regret over the actions of the two Baltic states.

In remarks to journalists, Kobakhidze stressed that Georgia had a “special relationship” with both Lithuania and Estonia, making the decision particularly disappointing.

“We do not tolerate provocations and will respond pragmatically to any such actions,” Kobakhidze said. He also criticized the two countries for what he described as acting not in the interests of their people, but under external influence. “It is unacceptable for states to act based on external orders rather than the interests of their own citizens,” he added.