While the United States is imposing sanctions on oligarch Ivanishvili, the Council is only preparing plans to revoke diplomatic passports for Georgian officials, which is completely insufficient, Dutch MEP Reinier van Lanschot said at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, where EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos was being heard.

“Thank you for moving straight to Ukraine. I fully support the fact that this is number one on your list of priorities. As Trump returns to the White House, the first test of Europe’s ability to take care of its own security is taking place in Georgia. Georgians have been mobilizing in unprecedented numbers for months to protest against a regime that, against the will of its own people, is embracing Russia, because the vast majority of the population in Georgia is pro-European, and I heard this myself during my visit to Tbilisi last month. They are asking for our support and we must give it. I hope that Georgia will be higher on your list of priorities. While the United States is imposing sanctions on the oligarch Ivanishvili, the Council is only preparing plans to revoke diplomatic passports for Georgian officials, which is completely insufficient,” the MEP said.

He asked Marta Kos what she planned to do to impose sanctions, whether she supported the call for new, free elections in Georgia and what other measures she would take to help Georgian democrats, to which the EU Commissioner for Enlargement replied: “I agree, Reinier Van Lanschot. Personally, I would be happy to put Georgia higher on the agenda.”