Opposition UNM slams Gov’t of serving Russian interests amid NGO clampdown

Levan Sanikidze, the leader of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition, has accused the government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of acting in Russia’s interests following the Prosecutor’s Office’s move against non-governmental organisations.

Speaking after reports that several NGOs had come under legal pressure, Sanikidze described the development as “clear proof that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s [the founder and honorary chair of the ruling party] government is carrying out Moscow’s agenda.”

“This is a civilisational confrontation, where Georgia’s European part is fighting against a group of traitors,” Sanikidze said.

He linked the measures to warnings from EU partners, who had signalled that Georgia’s visa-free travel agreement with the bloc could be suspended unless the foreign transparency law was scrapped or left unenforced.

“Instead of heeding that warning, the government has begun repressions against NGOs – the very step our partners urged them not to take,” Sanikidze argued, adding that such actions risked sanctions that would punish “four million Georgians by depriving them of visa-free travel.”