Garibashvili Opposes Georgia Joining the EU Sanctions against Russia
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili opposes the sanctions his own government has joined along with the EU against Russia for annexing the Crimea and occupying Sevastopol, Ukrainian territories. The PM yesterday has made some ambivalent comments over the issue raised after Russian side announced a potential countersanction against Georgia.
"I, as the head of the government, think that Georgia should not have joined the EU sanctions against Russia. We have had this position since last year and we have the same position now,” commented Georgian PM Garibashvili on the question asked about Georgia join the EU sanctions against Russia.
“We are not going to change this position. The only sanction joined by Georgia last year concerned products manufactured in Crimea and Sevastopol. As you know, we have the same situation in Samachablo [meaning occupied Tskhinvali Region] and Abkhazia. So, it was an inevitable necessity due to our non-recognition policy”.
The PM added that he personally opposed Georgia joining the EU sanctions against Russia following the latest statement by the Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) about the possible counter-sanction on Georgia for her decision to join the EU sanctions.
According to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday that they will survey the quality of wine and any other product exported to Russia.
The PM seems to be proud of [their] achievements with Russia by negotiations, saying, “The first thing is to be very careful about what we have achieved in trade relations with Russia,” at the same time as Russia’s creeping occupation continues in Shida Kartli [occupied Tskhinvali Region].
“I am sure internal destructive forces do not want our relations with Russia to be normalized, while our interest is to restore them to a neighborly status. The process has started, though Samachablo and Abkhazia remain the biggest impediments to it,”- Garibashvili concluded.
Steven Jones