The Voice of America (VoA) Georgian service reported that the U.S. State Department and U.S. Treasury are preparing a package of sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The report quotes a “high-level official” who spoke to VoA on condition of anonymity as saying the “novelty is that before [such sanctions] were simply considered, but now there is a package which is ready for implementation,” clarifying that it is not yet known when it will be enacted and whether this could happen before or after the October 26 elections.
Another official said, “We have information that he [Ivanishvili] took steps to develop relations with Russian oligarchs and to give Russia preferential access to the Georgian market. In fact, he took certain actions based on instructions from the Russian intelligence services” [the quote has been back-translated from Georgian]. According to the source, the sanctions will be based on Executive Order 14024, which provides for wide-ranging sanctions concerning “specified harmful foreign activities of the Government of the Russian Federation.”
An anonymous source familiar with official deliberations confirmed to VoA that it was “logical” to assume that readying of the sanctions constituted a signal: “[President] Biden’s close circle wants to show that it is serious and are hoping that someone in the Georgian government will listen to them seriously,” the source told VoA.
“It is not yet known if and when [the package] will be implemented.” But the necessary work has been done,” a source close to the administration told VOA, indicating that the administration still hopes the Georgian government will return to a democratic course.
Several days ago, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on several Georgian police officials and right-wing extremists for “serious human rights abuses.”