PM: Georgia aligns politically with the international community on Russia sanctions
He also raised the case of the 2008 conflict to note there had been “no proper, adequate reaction” from the world on Russia’s invasion and subsequent occupation of two of Georgia’s regions.Photo: Government's Administration.
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The Georgian Government aligns politically with the international community over its sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, and has made it “very clear” that “no sanctioned individual or company” will be allowed to use Georgia to bypass them, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Tuesday in a panel discussion at the Qatar Economic Forum.
The PM said the closing of the sanctioned Russian VTB Bank in Georgia was “a clear example” of the Government’s stance and its compliance with the sanctions. He pointed out that as the head of the Government he also needed to “think about the security of Georgian people” in making decisions on the matter, pointing out a part of the Georgian territory was occupied by Russia and the country was in “quite a vulnerable situation”.
“Before Ukraine it was Georgia - in 2008 we had an invasion of Russia into Georgia. Russia invaded Georgia and [...] occupied 20 percent of our territory, which is still occupied. Russian troops are on our territory. Basically, we [are having to] live with Russian troops. So this is a reality. It’s an ongoing occupation”, the PM told the panel.
Garibashvili also noted Georgia was “not the only country” that did not impose national economic sanctions on Russia, with Moldova choosing the same policy for “very obvious reasons”.
He also raised the case of the 2008 conflict to note there had been “no proper, adequate reaction” from the world on Russia’s invasion and subsequent occupation of two of Georgia’s regions.
“I want to remind everyone that during that time in 2008, no-one in the world paid enough attention to the fact a sovereign nation, the independent country of Georgia, was invaded by Russia, which occupied 20 percent of its territory. There was no reaction - no adequate, proper reaction - from the world”, he noted.
“No sanction was imposed on Russia [in 2008 and] [i]n 2014 the world was surprised when we saw the annexation of Crimea, and [...] in 2022, we are witnessing a full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine”, Garibashvili said.
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