The European People’s Party (EPP) passed a resolution on November 18 stating that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s involvement in Georgian politics has resulted in “Russian influence in the country,” and therefore it is appropriate to impose personal sanctions on him.
Ukraine imposed sanctions on a pro-Russian businessman from Georgia and members of the Ivanishvili family, a well-known oligarch from that country, on October 20.
“Georgia’s democratic regression and the Russian influence in the country resulted from Bidzina Ivanishvili’s oligarchic rule and the subsequent state capture in Georgia,” the resolution stated.
The EPP “calls on the European Union and democratic partners to impose personal sanctions on the oligarch [Bidzina] Ivanishvili for his role in sabotaging Georgia’s European integration and posing the threat to Georgia’s and regional security.”
By Sophie Hodler
