Georgian PM pledges to create list of “anti-Georgian countries”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has pledged to compile a list of countries he believes treat the country unfairly.

Citing “influential forces”, the country’s Prime Minister said that one of his top priorities is to “resist these forces” who, according to him, wanted to “open a second front in Georgia, but they failed, which is why they are now opposing our country and government.”

“We will also have a list of countries that are unfair to our country, although I do not want to specify these countries today to give them a chance to correct their behavior,” said the Georgian Prime Minister.

He did not specify what these forces are.

The statement comes after the Georgian parliament elected former football player Mikheil Kavelashvili as a new president. He is deemed to have anti-Western views and will replace pro-Western Salome Zurabiszwili.

The US State Department has already announced visa bans for 20 individuals involved in undermining democracy in Georgia, including government officials and members of parliament. The EU is likewise set to discuss individual sanctions despite opposition from Hungary.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sanctioned a host of Georgian authorities, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party and a billionaire, along with 19 other individuals.