Georgian MP slams French push for sanctions, points to hidden agendas

Levan Makhashvili, the chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, sharply criticised the latest resolution on Georgia adopted by the French National Assembly’s Committee on European Affairs, which calls for sanctions against members of the Georgian government and Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Speaking to Georgian media, as reported by Caliber.Az, Makhashvili said the French politicians should focus on issues in their own country rather than issuing demands to others.

“I don’t know whether they are demanding the introduction of sanctions or something else — that’s for them to decide. They can demand whatever they want. Let them take care of their own president, their country’s budget and their population,” he said.

Makhashvili noted that the Georgian side had repeatedly encountered similar “escalatory statements” from these French politicians. He argued that their positions were often driven by narrow interests.

“Before thinking about others and putting money into their pockets, they should think about their own population. I have no other answer for them. We have repeatedly seen such escalatory statements from these politicians, and then, in the end, it turns out that behind them are the financial interests of one political organisation or another,” Makhashvili stated.

Media reports recall that on December 3, the French National Assembly’s Committee on European Affairs endorsed a draft resolution that “condemns the illiberal and authoritarian backsliding of the Georgian government and reaffirms support for Georgia’s European future.” The resolution has now been forwarded to the Foreign Affairs Committee for further review.

The document urges the French government, “in coordination with European partners, to support the introduction of targeted individual sanctions against the persons mentioned in the European Parliament’s resolution of February 13, 2025, in particular Bidzina Ivanishvili and his close circle.”

By Tamilla Hasanova