“On the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, British Ambassador urges Georgia to impose sanctions on Russia,” wrote Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili in his Facebook post.

Parliament Speaker echoed a joint article by French, German and British Ambassadors to Georgia, Olivier Courteaud (France), Peter Fischer (Germany) and Gareth Ward (United Kingdom) titled “Fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: What is at stake for Georgia?”

As the Ambassadors said in the article, “claims that Germany, France or the United Kingdom have urged Georgia to open a second front in this conflict are false and constitute disinformation. Georgia can play an important role with international sanctions and resolute action against attempts of sanction circumvention.”

Shalva Papuashvili emphasized that imposition of sanctions means escalation, while escalation means a war where the country will be left alone.

“On the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the British Ambassador urges Georgia to impose sanctions on Russia. It should be said explicitly that the imposition of sanctions means escalation, while escalation means a war in which the country will be left alone. Sometimes, offence is enough instead of throwing a pebble to wage war. We have seen that movie once, and what happened when we followed others’ advice.

Four years ago, on the very first days since the start of the war, we said it strictly and explicitly that the imposition of sanctions on Russia is not in the national interests of Georgia, and Georgia will not apologize for this to anybody. Britain’s interest is the interest of the British people, not the Georgian people. Saying that ‘no one asks Georgia to open a second front’ is just rhetoric since facts say otherwise. Sacrificing others for one’s own interests is incorrect and unfair, especially when you acknowledge that sacrifice for escalation will lead to the war,” he said.