Hungary vows to block potential EU sanctions on Georgia over protest crackdowns
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has pledged to veto a proposal to impose EU sanctions on Georgian officials, for their crackdown on anti-government protests, the First Channel of Georgia reported on Dec. 10.
Speaking alongside Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili, Szijjarto criticized the EU and the “international liberal elite” and claimed that he is “categorically against” any sanctions towards Georgia.
"If the opposition had won the elections, Brussels would have been shouting loudly about democracy in Georgia. They would have said that democracy in Georgia has never been so strong, but the conservative party won the elections, and they are doing everything to deny and ignore the will of the citizens," Szijjarto said.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council is set to discuss the situation on December 16, with a possibility of potential sanction introductions.
Tbilisi's ties with multiple European countries have steadily deteriorated since the pro-Russian Georgian Dream adopted a controversial "foreign agents" law in May. Tensions only mounted after Georgian Dream declared victory in the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections despite widespread accusations of a rigged vote.
The latest wave of protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party broke out two weeks ago, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of the South Caucasus' EU accession process until at least 2028.
Over 220 people have been arrested during the ensuing crackdown, with dozens reported injured as the Georgian police deployed tear gas and water cannons.
Budapest is broadly seen as the most Moscow-friendly country within the EU and NATO, repeatedly obstructing aid to Kyiv and sanctions against Russia. Szijjarto has also repeatedly visited Russia throughout the full-scale war, a step that his European colleagues avoided.
Sonya Bandouil
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