“The best way today to help Georgia and the Georgian people is to sanction Bidzina Ivanishvili and his financial infrastructure,” said Salome Samadashvili, a member of “Lelo — Strong Georgia,” regarding the adoption of a resolution on Georgia by the International Democratic Union (IDU), which called on the U.S. and the European Union to act swiftly to impose financial sanctions on Ivanishvili.

According to her, the resolution, which addresses both the personal and company-related sanctions of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, is an important act and a call to the EU and the U.S. to accelerate the process of sanctioning Ivanishvili.

“It is very important that, once again, a major organization — the International Democratic Union — has sent a clear and important message that today the best way to help Georgia and the Georgian people is to sanction Bidzina Ivanishvili and his financial infrastructure. The IDU called on the U.S. and the EU to act quickly to impose financial sanctions on Ivanishvili, including against the organizations he uses in Georgia to dismantle democracy. This organization includes governing political forces from democratic countries, so I believe this statement will have its impact both in the U.S. and the EU in terms of speeding up the implementation of sanctions,” said Salome Samadashvili.

Samadashvili also commented on the visit of Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to Albania. She is convinced that Kobakhidze will have no bilateral meetings during the visit.

“No high-level visit is planned without preparation because a high-level meeting must have tangible results. I am sure that Kobakhidze will have no high-level meetings at this forum because we know the reaction he and Ivanishvili’s regime have to every message coming from the West. I don’t think anyone should deceive themselves into believing that a positive agenda can be created by meeting with Kobakhidze. If anyone meets him, it will only be to once again make clear that there will be no improvement in relations between Georgia and the EU as long as there is an attempt to dismantle democracy in the country, which is being carried out by Ivanishvili’s regime. I am confident that the European side will also make its own statements regarding the impact on Georgia-EU relations of the formal participation of representatives of an illegitimate government in this forum, if they deem it necessary,” said Salome Samadashvili.