‘Where is the logic?”: Georgia will not sanction Russia, says PM

Irakli Garibashvili says Georgian citizens and the country’s economy would suffer if Tbilisi sanctioned one of its biggest trading partners.

Doha, Qatar – The Prime Minister of Georgia has said that imposing sanctions on Russia would “destroy” Tbilisi’s economy and “harm the interests” of Georgian citizens.

Russia is one of Georgia’s most important trading partners, but the two countries have long had a tense relationship.

Georgia’s annual trade with Russia is “less than $1 billion,” Irakli Garibashvili said Wednesday at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. ‘This is ridiculous, isn’t it? That $1 billion cannot affect the Russian economy.”

“In comparison, the European Union trades with Russia in just four days, as much as we do in a year. Where is the logic when we are called upon to introduce sanctions against Russia?”

He also drew comparisons between the international response to the 2008 Russo-Georgian war and the conflict in Ukraine, saying, “Did anyone impose sanctions on Russia because of our war? No one in the world has issued a formal response.

“Where is the logic of ‘our war is not a war’, but in Ukraine it is.”

During the August 2008 war, which lasted a few days, Russia invaded Ukraine and eventually seized control of two breakaway regions: Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Since the conflict in Ukraine began, Georgia, an ex-Soviet country, has played a balancing act between its neighbor and its desire to join the European Union.

When Russia ordered a partial mobilization last year, thousands of men unwilling to serve flocked to Georgia for shelter.

Earlier this month, Tbilisi lifted a Russian flight ban following a decision by Moscow.

But the two countries have not had diplomatic relations since the 2008 war.

“Georgia is in an extremely difficult situation because of our geographical location, because of the ongoing occupation,” said Garibashvili.

While public support for Ukraine is strong in Georgia, critics of the prime minister and his governing party Kartuli Otsneba (Georgia Dream party) have suggested they are pro-Russian.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and the EU condemned the flight decision, at a time when the bloc’s airspace remains closed to Russian aircraft in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

“This move raises concerns about Georgia’s path to the EU and its commitment to join the EU in foreign policy,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said.

In Doha, Garibashvili defended the move to restart flights.

“We didn’t say we would end economic relations with Russia … many countries fly with Russia,” Garibashvili said.

“This war affects us all politically. We know that today about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory is occupied by Russia. This is the status quo today.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen any sign that this war will end any time soon. This is the problem.”

With reporting by Hafsa Adil in Doha.