Kallas: The European Union is ready to impose sanctions against Georgia

The European Union is ready to impose sanctions against Georgia, but one member state of the association opposes, said the head of European diplomacy Kaya Kallas at a press conference following the meeting of foreign ministers. The transcript is published on the EU website.

The journalist asked Kallas about the possibility of imposing targeted sanctions against Georgia. She confirmed that there is a "general mood".

"The general mood is that if we insisted on sanctions, for example, against those who commit acts against the opposition or free media, then 26 countries would be in favor, and only one opposed," Callas said.

According to Kallas, the EU intends to change the tactics of interaction with Georgia. Brussels plans to interact more with the Georgian people in order to show the "goodwill" of Europe.

"But at the same time, to give very clear signals to the Georgian government that the direction they are choosing does not correspond to the values that Europe represents," the head of European diplomacy emphasized.

She noted that the EU will return to the issue of imposing sanctions as soon as "new governments gather at the negotiating table."

Tbilisi's relations with Brussels deteriorated in April 2024 amid the approval of the law on foreign agents. The European Union has suspended the process of accepting Georgia and frozen part of the financial assistance to the republic, in particular funds in the amount of € 30 million, which were allocated to the Georgian Defense Ministry from the European Peace Fund.

The EU criticizes the Georgian authorities for their actions against those who come out to anti-government protests. A visa-free regime has been in effect between Georgia and the Schengen countries since 2017. However, as part of the sanctions against Georgian government officials due to the suppression of protests, Brussels canceled visa-free travel for them and Georgian diplomats.

Georgia, for its part, has removed the issue of negotiations with the EU on membership from the agenda until 2028.