Georgia calls the US decision to impose sanctions against the country senseless

The decision of US President Joe Biden 's administration to impose sanctions against Georgia is misunderstood and senseless. This was stated by the Speaker of the country's Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Friday, December 13.

He pointed out that the outgoing White House administration was in power, among other things, during the last years of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now serving a sentence in his country on several criminal cases.

"We don't remember not only sanctions, but even a clear position from the then administration, which is still in power in the US today. The position of the outgoing US administration [on imposing sanctions] is incomprehensible and senseless, they are spoiling relations with such an important partner as Georgia in the name of the American people," Rustavi2 TV channel quoted the politician's statement at a briefing.

Earlier on Friday, the US State Department's Chief of Staff Matthew Miller said that the US authorities had imposed visa restrictions on about 20 people in Georgia, including high-ranking officials and lawmakers. They are accused of allegedly violating democratic norms.

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Earlier, on December 10, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin said that the United States is losing the initiative in the world in all directions, and Washington has started to fail in the post-Soviet space. He noted, in particular, that in Georgia, where former President Saakashvili was "snacking on ties with puppet", the Western coalition failed to prevent the ruling Georgian Dream party from winning the elections.

On December 9, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin noted that the policy of Georgia's leadership, which aims to protect the country's national interests, causes "heartburn" in the United States and European Union countries. The diplomat believes that Western attacks on Tbilisi and further imposition of sanctions are likely to continue.

Protests are underway in Georgia over the suspension of negotiations on European integration and the opposition's disagreement with the results of the parliamentary elections. Protesters tried to set fire to the building of the Georgian parliament and damaged dozens of offices, and law enforcement agencies had to use tear gas.

Against this background, the US State Department suspended its partnership with the Georgian side and announced its readiness to impose new sanctions. The French Foreign Ministry accused the Georgian authorities of "repression", Latvia banned entry of 13 citizens of the country, and Ukraine imposed sanctions against 19 Georgian politicians.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that European politicians threatened the country with a Maidan, but another attempt to organize a revolution failed. He also noted that the issue of EU accession was being used to blackmail Tbilisi.