Political analyst calls Ukraine's sanctions against Georgia symbolic
Ukraine 's sanctions against Georgia are symbolic in nature; this measure will not fundamentally change anything in both countries. However, further escalation of relations between Kiev and Tbilisi may be harmful for the parties. Chairman of the International Center for Combating Crime and Terrorism, international political scientist Enes Karakhanov shared this opinion in a conversation with Izvestia on December 5.
Kiev's move became known earlier in the day. Thus, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired in May, signed a decree imposing sanctions against 19 representatives of the Georgian authorities, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
"Such measures are used to demonstrate disagreement with policies that Ukraine considers unacceptable. In this case, we are talking about Georgia's actions, which, in Kiev's opinion, indicate a rapprochement with Russia and a departure from democratic principles. However, the impact of these sanctions on the economy or the lives of citizens is unlikely to be significant," Karakhanov commented.
He noted that the economies of the two countries are not so intertwined that the sanctions would cause serious consequences. The volume of trade and mutual cooperation is unlikely to suffer significantly, and the main supplies, such as Georgian wine or mineral water, are likely to continue on their routes, the publication's interlocutor suggested.
"Georgia's retaliatory measures, if they follow, will also be rather symbolic in nature. Closure of logistic routes, restriction of access to Georgian goods or introduction of a visa regime may create certain inconveniences, but will not change the overall picture," he added.
According to the expert, the main "battlefield" in this situation is politics and image. Tbilisi may try to use the situation in its favor by strengthening the rhetoric about Kiev's "illegal" actions and playing on the contradictions within the Western community, the political analyst said.
"Both countries depend on Western support, and excessive escalation could be harmful for them. Ukraine seeks solidarity with Western partners <...>, while Georgia in turn tries to keep the balance between the West and Russia. In this situation, any sharp steps are fraught with loss of trust," Karakhanov emphasized.
Thus, he added, sanctions are not a means to achieve real change, but an instrument of political pressure and a signaling measure. Restrictions emphasize the gap between countries, but do not carry the threat of catastrophic consequences. This is a struggle for symbols and statements, which is more oriented to the international audience than to the real impact within the states, the expert concluded.
A day earlier, Zelensky announced that he intends to impose sanctions against the Georgian authorities for the dispersal of protesters in Tbilisi. At the same time, he did not specify what kind of measures he was talking about. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the Ukrainian president was apparently "angry that Georgia had found the strength to abandon the Ukrainian scenario".
Protests have been going on in Georgia for several days due to the suspension of negotiations on European integration and the opposition's disagreement with the results of the parliamentary election. On December 3, the country's Prime Minister Kobakhidze made a statement that another attempt to organize a revolution in the country based on the Ukrainian Maidan scenario had failed.
Georgian security forces were forced to use tear gas to disperse demonstrators in the center of Tbilisi. On November 30, protesters tried to set fire to the Georgian parliament building and damaged dozens of offices.
Amid these events, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili refused to step down when her term expires at the end of December. In response, Kobakhidze warned that she would be required by law to leave office.
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