PM: Georgia “absolutely” ahead of all EU candidate, some member countries in many areas

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday claimed the country was "absolutely" ahead of "all" European Union membership candidate states and was leading in "several areas" compared to the bloc member states, while highlighting the latest World Bank Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranked Georgia among the top 20 countries.

“This is the current reality, be it democracy, human rights, lack of corruption, transparency, openness of governance, economic progress, [...] in all areas, Georgia is a clear leader”, the PM said.

Kobakhidze’s comments came after the United States Department of Treasury on Monday imposed sanctions on senior Georgian law enforcement officials, who he said had fought in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

“In such conditions when unjust decisions [on sanctioning] are made regarding Georgia, [...] of course, all this is an extreme insult and disinformation. If there is any misinformation, it is exactly the decisions on sanctions, which are unfair statements [...]. I call on everyone to refrain from spreading such large-scale disinformation about Georgia”, Kobakhidze added.

The PM earlier this week called sanctions “frivolous and very unfortunate" and claimed their “sole purpose could be to influence” the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country.