Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday claimed the outgoing United States administration was “ruining relations with an important partner”, in comments over the US Department of State’s imposition of visa restrictions on Georgian officials for “undermining democracy” in the country on the backdrop of ongoing public protests against the Government’s decision to halt European Union accession talks until 2028.
In his remarks over the matter, Papuashvili said the position of the outgoing administration was “incomprehensible and meaningless”.
"First of all, this is an administration that lost the elections. Their mandate is expiring, and despite this, they are ruining relations with an important partner, such as Georgia, on behalf of the American people - and this, of course, is very thought-provoking”, the Speaker said.
The Department of State on Thursday said the sanctions would affect about 20 individuals, including Georgian Government ministers, Parliament officials, law enforcement and security professionals and private citizens.
