UK warning to Ivanishvili is ‘last one’ before sanctions, opposition member

Opposition representative Roman Gotsiridze has said the United Kingdom’s recent diplomatic move toward Georgia’s government represented a final warning to billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“Our partners in the West are no longer patient. It is easier to make decisions in Britain - there are no pro-Russian leaders like [Slovakia’s] Fico or [Hungary’s] Orbán, which makes sanctioning Ivanishvili more straightforward,” Gotsiridze said in comments to reporters.

“Britain is warning Ivanishvili, and this is the last warning. The arrogance and betrayal of the country by Georgian Dream will cost him dearly,” he added, suggesting that targeted sanctions against Ivanishvili were imminent.

His remarks follow the summoning of Georgia’s Chargé d’Affaires to the UK Foreign Office, where senior British officials reportedly expressed deep concern over Georgia’s political direction and condemned “false accusations and public attacks” by the ruling party against the UK and its allies.