Georgian PM calls US sanctions on Gov’t officials “counterproductive”, urges “pragmatic” actions

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said recent sanctions imposed by the United States Government on two high-ranking officials of the Georgian police, who he said had participated in the 2008 war with Russia, were “counterproductive”.

You can see that sanctions are absolutely counterproductive. Therefore, I am sure that all those who may be considering sanctions will act pragmatically and not take measures that will backfire on the relevant forces”, Kobakhidze told domestic media.

The Prime Minister stressed “such mistakes” like sanctioning individuals who served during the conflict “cannot not be made”.

The US Department of Treasury last month imposed visa and financial sanctions on Zviad Kharazishvili, the Director of the Special Tasks Department of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, his deputy Milleri Lagazauri, as well as Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze - the leaders of the Georgian-based pro-Russian media outlet Alt-Info.

The US State Department also expanded visa sanctions to include 60 individuals and their family members who it said were involved in “undermining democracy, spreading disinformation, and engaging in corruption within” Georgia.

The Prime Minister earlier this month said these individuals had faced sanctions “without any evidence against them", and equated the penalties to “criminal punishment”, while also alleging a lack of judicial protection for them and highlighting the “guarantee of judicial rights is a fundamental principle of a legal state”.