“‘Georgian Dream’ is helping Russia in the war,” stated the fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, commenting on a statement by the US Embassy expressing concern over the establishment of a government department to combat hate speech. Speaking during a Facebook live stream, Zourabichvili said that Western partners are increasingly demonstrating their unwillingness to tolerate Georgia becoming one of the main routes for bypassing sanctions against Russia.
“The US Embassy remained silent for a long time. I don’t know whether this is due to the absence of an ambassador at present, or because the US administration’s attention is focused on other issues. But this statement is very timely.
I don’t think this statement alone will lead to any specific consequences. However, the broader consequences are already obvious. We see decisions made by the European Union, for instance regarding Kulevi or cryptocurrencies, which, as everyone knows, are closely linked to money laundering and sanctions evasion.
All of this means that our partners are increasingly open about their readiness to stop tolerating what has long been known: that Georgia has become the main channel for Russia to bypass international sanctions. Thus, this regime — the ‘Georgian-Russian Dream’ — is effectively helping Russia in the war.
This statement demonstrates that the international community no longer intends to put up with what is happening,” Zourabichvili stated.