Prime Minister Kobakhidze Condemns U.S. Sanctions on Georgian Official, Calls It "Insult to the State"
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has responded to the recent U.S. sanctions imposed on senior Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs official Zviad Kharazishvili, labeling the move as "an insult to the state." Kobakhidze expressed his concern over the decision and warned that if the U.S. imposes further sanctions, Georgia's government will have to engage in "principled discussions regarding the review of certain positions."
In his statement, Kobakhidze highlighted the negative impact of such actions on U.S.-Georgia relations:
"Such steps, such decisions, do not contribute to the reset of relations. Over the past four years, these relations have faced serious difficulties, largely due to the activities of the previous ambassador. In such conditions, resetting relations is extremely important. This requires a healthy and fair approach, but such sanctions and decisions do not help with the reset of relations, especially when sanctions are imposed on high-ranking police officers, people who fought in the August war. This is an extreme insult to our state. This is fundamentally unacceptable for us."
Kobakhidze also stressed that Georgia may be forced to reassess its stance if the situation escalates:
"I expressed my concerns to the U.S. ambassador and clearly stated one thing - if another step is added to this, we will be forced to engage in principled discussions regarding the review of certain positions."
The Prime Minister criticized the approach of the United States, calling for rational and fair actions to support the U.S.-Georgia relationship:
"It is fundamentally unacceptable to have a non-partner-like attitude from a country that is not only called a partner but a strategic partner. Therefore, I call on everyone to act rationally and fairly. This will benefit Georgian-American relations. As for the sanctions, they are aimed at destroying Georgian-American relations. You can judge for yourselves who benefits from this."
The comments come in the wake of sanctions imposed on September 16 by the U.S. Treasury Department against Zviad Kharazishvili, his deputy Miller Lagazauri, and two members of the pro-Russian and violent Alt-Info group, Zura Makharadze and Konstantine Morgoshia.
The U.S. imposed these sanctions in response to what it described as restrictions on fundamental freedoms in Georgia, including freedom of expression.
