Georgian Dream leaders, judges, and others: Who was sanctioned by Lithuania and Estonia

The Georgian government has harshly criticised Lithuania and Estonia for sanctioning Georgian officials, including Prime Minister Kobakhidze.

In a statement, the government emphasised that it could take retaliatory measures against this ‘anti-Georgian decision’, but it will not do so ‘out of respect for the Lithuanian and Estonian people’.

‘Our decision is to maintain a one-sided friendship regime with both countries’, the statement read.

The government also claimed that Estonia and Lithuania are states with the ‘most restricted sovereignty’ within the EU and that their governments act not on behalf of their people but under the influence of a ‘foreign country’s administration’, contrary to ‘their own dignity’. That ‘foreign country’ is not specified in the statement.

The sanctions imposed by Estonia and Lithuania are linked to violence against demonstrators, journalists, and opposition members during ongoing pro-European protests in Georgia.