United States has come up with sanctions against the former prime minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, for the actions undermining Georgia’s democratic future and strengthening his relations with Russia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the sanctions on Friday and described him as having taken steps that undermined Georgia’s prospects for democracy and euro-integration for the advantage of Russia.
Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia in metals and telecoms in the 1990s, has led Georgia’s shift away from the West in recent months, promoting policies aligned with Russian interests. The billionaire, who has maintained influence through the Georgian Dream party, has publicly criticized foreign intelligence agencies, claiming they are pushing Georgia into conflict with Russia.
The sanctions reflect growing tensions between the West and Georgia, once considered a pro-Western democracy in the former Soviet Union. Ivanishvili’s party, while officially pro-democracy and pro-Western, has taken steps to maintain ties with Russia. Last month, Georgia halted its EU talks until 2028, a move that sparked widespread protests and led to the arrest of over 400 people, including opposition leaders.
US also sanctioned several senior Georgian officials in December over their role in suppressing the protests. Ivanishvili’s US assets will be frozen, a move that Georgia’s government has long considered a form of de facto sanctioning. Ivanishvili’s party has not commented on the new sanctions.
This year, Ivanishvili backed foreign agents and LGBT rights legislation that critics claim sound much like Russian policy. Georgia has had no official relationship with Russia since the 2008 war, in which Russia recognized two Georgian regions as independent.
Georgia’s latest political crisis comes after disputed elections in October, where Georgian Dream won 54% of the vote, which opposition parties have claimed was marred by fraud. President Salome Zourabichvili, an outspoken critic of Georgian Dream, has refused to accept the election results, and her successor, Mikheil Kavelashvili, will be sworn in soon.
Georgia Dream is optimistic that relations with the US will improve under President-elect Donald Trump.
