Georgian PM: Ivanishvili ‘unafraid of sanctions’

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said that the ruling party’s honorary leader and founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, was “not afraid of sanctions” - “formal or informal” - and criticised what he described as Europe's unjust treatment of the billionaire and former prime minister.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Kobakhidze claimed that “informal sanctions had already been imposed” on Ivanishvili, including the “withholding of $2 billion” from him "in an absolutely predatory, shameful manner."

"When we talk about Europe, let’s look at this - is this appropriate behaviour for Europe?" Kobakhidze asked. “When, without any justification, a sum of $2 billion is withheld through a commercial bank from a specific individual, especially someone who has held and still holds a high political position - this is unacceptable.”

The prime minister argued that such actions reflected the influence of what he referred to as the “deep state” and suggested that Europe today was unrecognisable from its past.

“We could not have imagined such a thing from Europe 30 or 40 years ago, but unfortunately, Europe has brought it to this point,” he said, describing the situation as “tragic.”

Kobakhidze also accused European actors of resorting to “the language of blackmail,” but insisted such tactics would be ineffective.