Georgian Parliament Committee Chair: UK’s approach toward Georgia “unfair”

Giorgi Gabunia, the Chair of the Culture Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Saturday criticised what he described as a long-standing unfair attitude toward Georgia by the United Kingdom, following London’s decision to impose sanctions on Otar Partskhaladze.

In his remarks, Gabunia noted that the Government had long observed an unfair attitude toward Georgia, which was neither just nor in line with the standards of interstate relations.

“I don’t know what factors guided the United Kingdom in imposing sanctions on Otar Partskhaladze, but in general, we have long observed an unfair attitude toward Georgia, which is neither just not in line with the standards of interstate relations”, Gabunia said.

He emphasised that Georgia remained committed to pursuing an independent and sovereign policy and would not tolerate foreign interference in its internal political processes.

“Georgia has an independent, sovereign policy, and we will not allow anyone to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs or to use foreign funds to orchestrate internal political processes - the Government will not permit this, and this position has been clear for a long time”, he continued.

Gabunia also noted that the UK had not provided detailed reasoning for sanctioning Partskhaladze, making it difficult to comment further.

“Regarding what happened with Partskhaladze and the circumstances behind his sanctioning, I don’t know, as the UK side has not made a statement on this matter, and we don’t know what their decision is based on, so it’s difficult for me to make a specific comment”, he concluded.