The US State Department announced new sanctions against Georgia

TheUnited States plans to announce new sanctions against Georgia in the coming weeks. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a briefing on December 16.

"We are very concerned because of the state of democracy in Georgia and the actions that [the] Georgian Dream [party] is taking to undermine it. <...> We will have other actions that we will take in the coming weeks," he informed.

Miller clarified that in this case the conversation is specifically about a new package of sanctions, which are planned to be announced soon.

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Earlier, on December 13, the head of the press service of the U.S. State Department, Matthew Miller, said that the U.S. 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. In turn, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili drew attention to the fact that the decision of the US President Joe Biden 's administration to impose sanctions against Georgia is misunderstood and senseless.

Prior to that, on December 9, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin noted that the policy of the Georgian leadership, which aims to protect the national interests of the country, 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.

Later, on December 14, presidential elections were held in Georgia. For the first time in the country's history, the candidate for the post of head of state was voted for not by citizens, but by the electoral college. The electoral college consisted of 300 people, 211 of whom were members of the Georgian Dream. As a result, Georgian Dream presidential candidate Mikhail Kavelashvili won the necessary 200 votes for the presidential election.

On December 13, incumbent President Salome Zurabishvili noted that she would not leave the presidential palace when her term of office expires. On that day, opposition supporters also gathered in front of the Parliament for a rally. And the next day, speaking about the elections in Georgia, she said that no one elected anyone. She also expressed gratitude to all those present at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi and noted that she would "defend the citizens and the future of the country to the end".