Unrest in Georgia: EU chief diplomat brings sanctions against Georgia into play

According to new EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the EU could impose sanctions because of the latest developments in Georgia. It is clear that violence against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and the Georgian government should respect the will of the Georgian people and the Georgian constitution, said the former Estonian head of government on the sidelines of talks in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Possible consequences will be discussed together with the member states. Kallas cited sanctions as concrete examples, but also restrictions on issuing visas.

In the South Caucasus republic of Georgia, there were violent clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators for the third night in a row. According to Georgian media, the officers used water cannons and tear gas, and the demonstrators fired fireworks at the police. It was only in the morning that the uniformed men managed to push the protesters away from the parliament building on Rustaveli Prospekt. The crowd has now set up roadblocks near the state university. The conflicts between the national-conservative government and the pro-European opposition threaten to tear Georgia apart.

The background to the protests is the parliamentary elections at the end of October, which were overshadowed by allegations of fraud and in which the ruling Georgian Dream party was declared the winner. The opposition has not recognized the election results – and refuses to accept their mandates. The protests were fueled by Prime Minister Iraqi Kobachidze, who announced that he would put accession negotiations with the EU, which he accused of interference and blackmail, on hold until 2028. According to surveys, the majority of the population wants to go to the EU. Accession is also set out as a goal in the constitution.

It is obvious that the Georgian government does not respect the will of the Georgian people regarding the European future, Kallas said. In their view, Georgia should not be allowed to get away with this.

However, EU sanctions can only be imposed if all EU states agree. This is currently questionable, particularly in Hungary. The reason is that Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently expressed support for Kobachidze.