ArmInfo. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili ruled out the imposition of economic sanctions against Russia, saying that this is contrary to the national interests of the country.
Thus, Garibashvili responded to the opponents of the Georgian Dream government inside the country, as well as to Western politicians who consider Tbilisi's position on anti-Russian sanctions not clear enough.
"The European Union pays Russia a billion dollars every day. Since the beginning of the war, $90 billion has entered Russia as a result of the trade that Europe still has with Russia," the prime minister said at a government meeting.
According to him, after the imposition of sanctions, Georgia "will actually have to break off trade and economic relations with Russia", which will inevitably affect not only 1 million Georgians living in Russia, but also up to 4 million residents of Georgia.
" Do we not have our own national interests or do people not live here? Maybe the Georgian people again want war, oppression, loss of territories, our statehood?"
Garibashvili promised that he would repeat these questions even more loudly in the future. He also added that he was waiting for a "fair decision" on granting Georgia the status of an EU candidate.
It should be noted that at the beginning of the hostilities around Ukraine, the Georgian authorities have repeatedly stated that they will not support economic sanctions against Russia, but will provide political and humanitarian support to official Kyiv.