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Kobakhidze Responds to UK Sanctions, Criticizes German Ambassador, and Dismisses MEPs’ Statements
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On February 27, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed several key issues, including UK sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the June 20, 2019, case in the Strasbourg Court, and the initiation of the "FARA" law. He also criticized the German ambassador, whom he described as a representative of Georgia’s "radical opposition."
Kobakhidze responded to the German Education Ministry’s suspension of scientific cooperation with Georgia, calling it an act of animosity ahead of the German Education Minister’s departure. He harshly criticized the German ambassador to Georgia, stating, "Germany does not have an ambassador in Georgia today; they have a representative in the radical opposition." He suggested that Georgian-German relations would normalize once new personnel were appointed in Germany.
He also targeted Rasa Juknevičienė, a Member of the European Parliament and the permanent rapporteur on Georgia, who visited Tbilisi on February 26. Kobakhidze dismissed MEPs’ "empty statements" and described both Juknevičienė and Georgian opposition figure Nika Gvaramia as individuals with "no resources."
Addressing discussions in the British House of Commons about potential sanctions against ruling party patron Bidzina Ivanishvili, Kobakhidze referred to them as "blackmail that has been going on for three years," linking the situation to the war in Ukraine. "The blackmail, of course, was connected to that, but it was fruitless because neither Bidzina Ivanishvili nor the authorities would take steps that would literally mean the destruction of the country," he stated.
He further argued, "First, there were de facto sanctions, and now there are threats and blackmail with formal sanctions. No one is interested in this; it is simply a sad reality that needs to be acknowledged," emphasizing the Georgian Dream government's stance against external pressure.
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