US Sanctions Former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Amid Concerns Over Pro-Russian Shift
Georgian billionaire and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is considered the de facto leader of Georgia, was sanctioned by the United States on Friday. Growing fears over Georgia’s turn toward authoritarianism and a pro-Russian stance under Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party are reflected in the action.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ivanishvili’s actions undercut Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic ambitions in favor of the Russian Federation, which is why the sanctions were imposed. Blinken added that in order to help Russia, Ivanishvili had taken part in actions that undermined democratic processes and institutions in Georgia and abroad.
Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s through business dealings in telecoms and metals, has led Georgia’s shift away from Western allies. He has strained ties with the West by publicly accusing Western intelligence services of trying to incite Georgia to war with Russia.
The sanctions are the result of Georgia’s relationship with the West becoming worse. Georgia was once regarded as one of the former Soviet Union’s most democratic and pro-Western nations, but its current course has caused concern. Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream maintains practical ties with Russia while insisting on a dedication to democratic and pro-Western ideals. However, the party has put a halt to EU admission negotiations until 2028, delaying a crucial constitutionally mandated national goal.
Prominent opposition figures were among the more than 400 people arrested as a result of the government crackdown and protests that followed this decision. On December 18, the United States retaliated by sanctioning a number of high-ranking Georgian Interior Ministry officers for their role in repressing demonstrators. Ivanishvili’s assets in the United States are frozen under the new penalties. Washington had already refuted Ivanishvili and his supporters’ accusations that he has been subject to “de facto sanctions” for years. Regarding the most recent penalties, Georgian Dream has not yet responded.
Ivanishvili has been accused by critics of supporting severe legislation that are modeled after Russian practices, such as those that restrict LGBTQ rights and regulate “foreign agents.”Georgia, which was under Russian authority for almost 200 years before gaining its freedom in 1991, has strong misgivings about its northern neighbor, which backs two Georgian breakaway regions. After a short war in 2008, diplomatic relations between the two countries were broken off.
READ ALSO: US Sanctions Former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili Amid Concerns Over Pro-Russian Shift
Following a contentious October election in which Georgian Dream received close to 54% of the vote, there has been recent political unrest. The findings have been denounced as fake by opposition parties. Georgian Dream’s harshest critic, President Salome Zourabichvili, has stated her intention to stay in office when her term is up and has refused to acknowledge the election’s conclusion.
On Sunday, Mikheil Kavelashvili, her successor, who was chosen by Georgian Dream parliamentarians, will take office. Georgian Dream, meantime, has voiced hope that under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, ties between the US and Georgia will improve. The sanctions imposed on Ivanishvili underscore growing global apprehension regarding Georgia’s political development and its consequences for regional stability. The future of Georgia’s democratic ideals is in jeopardy as long as protests persist and diplomatic ties remain tense.