Georgia has become a hub for circumventing sanctions against Russia - starting with the re-export of goods needed for the war and ending with the concealment of the origin of petroleum products. This was stated by European Parliament member Dainius Žalimas in the European Parliament.

He also spoke about Elene Khoshtaria, one of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change" and an opposition figure currently in custody, stating that "such cases show that the Georgian regime continues repressions against civil society."

According to him, for this reason, "normalization of relations between the European Union, its member states, and the current Georgian regime is impossible until all political prisoners are released" and free and fair elections are held.

"At the same time, Georgia has become a hub for circumventing sanctions against Russia - starting with the re-export of goods necessary for the war and ending with the concealment of the origin of petroleum products. Accordingly, the European Union must strictly sanction both companies operating in Georgia that assist Russia's war machine, as well as regime officials who continue to terrorize civil society.

Today, Lithuania celebrates the restoration of its independence. Our experience tells us that attempts to capture state institutions must be resisted firmly and at the earliest possible stage. Otherwise, once the state has been captured, restoring it becomes much more difficult," - stated Žalimas.