EU country vows to block sanctions against Georgia
Hungary intends to impede any attempts by Brussels to impose sanctions on Georgian officials, according to Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Hungary will oppose any European Union efforts to impose sanctions on Georgian officials, according to Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
On Tuesday, Szijjarto reassured Georgia that Hungary would block any attempts by Brussels to sanction its government officials. He revealed that the EU is considering blacklisting Georgia’s interior minister and two senior police officers due to their actions against protests in the country.
Since late November, Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, has experienced significant anti-government and pro-EU demonstrations following Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement to suspend EU accession talks until 2028, citing “blackmail and manipulation” from Brussels. Over two weeks of protests have led to the arrest of more than 400 individuals and injuries to over 150 police officers, according to the Georgian Interior Ministry.
During a joint press conference in Budapest with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Szijjarto mentioned that EU officials had sent a proposal that day to member states “suggesting that the Georgian Minister of the Interior and two high-ranking police officers be placed on the European sanctions list.” He stated, “If any such proposals are received, we will veto them, and you can be assured of that.”
In response to the situation, the EU’s diplomatic service issued a statement on Tuesday indicating that “the persistent democratic backslide and the recent repressive means used by Georgian authorities have consequences for our bilateral relations,” and warned that “the EU will consider additional measures” against Georgia.
Relations between Georgia and the EU had become strained even prior to Kobakhidze halting the accession talks. The Prime Minister faced criticism in Brussels after his government instituted legislation requiring NGOs receiving over 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, as well as passing a law aimed at restricting the dissemination of LGBTQ propaganda.
In May, Kobakhidze accused the European Commission of threatening him with assassination related to the foreign agents law. His party, Georgian Dream, which secured nearly 54% of the parliamentary vote in October, promotes stable relations with both the EU and Russia. However, pro-Western opposition parties and Georgia’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, who was born in France, have refused to accept the election results.
The European Parliament has called for a rerun of the elections, citing alleged “irregularities” in the voting process.
Szijjarto remarked, “If the opposition had won the elections, Brussels would be loudly proclaiming that Georgian democracy has never been stronger. But now that a conservative party has won, they are doing everything in their power to dismiss and ignore the will of the people… in a completely undemocratic manner.” He added, “This is indeed a serious and transparently boring game played by the liberal mainstream, which we strongly reject.”
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
On Tuesday, Szijjarto reassured Georgia that Hungary would block any attempts by Brussels to sanction its government officials. He revealed that the EU is considering blacklisting Georgia’s interior minister and two senior police officers due to their actions against protests in the country.
Since late November, Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, has experienced significant anti-government and pro-EU demonstrations following Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement to suspend EU accession talks until 2028, citing “blackmail and manipulation” from Brussels. Over two weeks of protests have led to the arrest of more than 400 individuals and injuries to over 150 police officers, according to the Georgian Interior Ministry.
During a joint press conference in Budapest with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Szijjarto mentioned that EU officials had sent a proposal that day to member states “suggesting that the Georgian Minister of the Interior and two high-ranking police officers be placed on the European sanctions list.” He stated, “If any such proposals are received, we will veto them, and you can be assured of that.”
In response to the situation, the EU’s diplomatic service issued a statement on Tuesday indicating that “the persistent democratic backslide and the recent repressive means used by Georgian authorities have consequences for our bilateral relations,” and warned that “the EU will consider additional measures” against Georgia.
Relations between Georgia and the EU had become strained even prior to Kobakhidze halting the accession talks. The Prime Minister faced criticism in Brussels after his government instituted legislation requiring NGOs receiving over 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, as well as passing a law aimed at restricting the dissemination of LGBTQ propaganda.
In May, Kobakhidze accused the European Commission of threatening him with assassination related to the foreign agents law. His party, Georgian Dream, which secured nearly 54% of the parliamentary vote in October, promotes stable relations with both the EU and Russia. However, pro-Western opposition parties and Georgia’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, who was born in France, have refused to accept the election results.
The European Parliament has called for a rerun of the elections, citing alleged “irregularities” in the voting process.
Szijjarto remarked, “If the opposition had won the elections, Brussels would be loudly proclaiming that Georgian democracy has never been stronger. But now that a conservative party has won, they are doing everything in their power to dismiss and ignore the will of the people… in a completely undemocratic manner.” He added, “This is indeed a serious and transparently boring game played by the liberal mainstream, which we strongly reject.”
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
