Georgian FM says “impossible” for EU to impose personal sanctions without legal grounds

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishili on Tuesday said it was “impossible” for the European Union to impose personal sanctions against individuals “without legal grounds”.

Botchorishvili’s comment followed statements made by Paweł Herczyński, the EU Ambassador to the country, regarding the possible sanctioning of police officers present at protest rallies across the country.

In her remarks, Botchorishvili stressed that Brussels had recently become particularly accustomed to making “baseless and unfounded” statements regarding Georgia.

“Unfortunately, we have seen such unfair approaches [from Brussels] on many issues, especially over the last three years. When it comes to personal sanctions, especially against individuals, it is impossible for the European Union to impose personal sanctions on someone without legal grounds. We must also say that there are actors who are making every effort to use such a mechanism against Georgian citizens”, the Foreign Minister said.

She further noted that it was regrettable that Brussels was being used as a tool, and added that this was exactly what the Georgian Government was dealing with.

“However, Hungary and Slovakia are currently blocking these efforts, and they will continue to do so”, Botchorishvili concluded.