GD's Mdinaradze criticizes US sanctions, calls for 'real' strategic partnership

Mamuka Mdinaradze, Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, stated during an interview on Rustavi 2 that sanctions imposed on the party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili by the previous US administration remain in place despite a change in leadership, signaling, in his view, a lack of real change in US policy toward Georgia.

Mdinaradze argued that true transformation in US-Georgia relations would serve as an indicator of whether the new US administration can overcome the influence of what he described as the “deep state” and informal power structures.

"The previous US administration imposed sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili. Then the government changed, but nothing changed in policy," Mdinaradze said. "We have always said that if the new US administration manages to free itself from the influence of the deep state and defeats informal powers within the US, the best indication of that will be its relationship with Georgia."

He emphasized the need for a genuine strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States, beyond declarations and symbolic gestures. Mdinaradze called for concrete steps such as the introduction of a visa-free regime for Georgian citizens and more direct, results-oriented engagement.

"Despite calling each other strategic partners for years, we never had a relationship that truly benefited the Georgian people in a tangible way," he said. "Fortunately, we can now talk about this openly, something that just five or six years ago would have been difficult or even risky."