“The sanctions currently being imposed are, first and foremost, ones that Georgian Dream richly deserves,” said Tata Khvedeliani, a member of parliament from the Gakharia for Georgia party, speaking on GPB First Channel program “Topic of the Day.”

“The individuals who have been sanctioned to date were sanctioned because they committed acts of violence against the Georgian population. We have seen, for example, the sanctions imposed in recent days against TV companies Imedi and PosTV, and indeed, for years these two broadcasters have been waging what amounts to a hybrid war against our own people through propaganda,” Khvedeliani said.

In her view, these television companies had been systematically spreading lies and disinformation.

“They were keeping our population in a state of hybrid warfare, manufacturing shifts in public opinion year after year,” she said.

Khvedeliani also noted that her own political party has been effectively shut out of Imedi TV’s airwaves.

“Our political party, for instance, is blocked from appearing on Imedi. We cannot address Imedi’s viewers or speak to them about the issues we consider vital for our country today,” she said.

In her assessment, the sanctioning of these television companies represents a significant step toward the ultimate goal, and as such, it is a very important decision.

When the host, Tamta Sanikidze, asked whether she agrees with the call for Georgia from some ambassadors accredited in Georgia to impose sanctions on Russia, and whether such a decision would be the right one, Khvedeliani acknowledged it would be a difficult choice for the country, but pushed back on the framing that it constitutes an obligation, as she felt the host had implied.

“We understand there to be no obligation in this regard, and no demands are being made in that direction. So there is a choice to be made. However, the fact that Russia is currently an aggressor waging war in Ukraine is unequivocal, and therefore, sanctions circumvention must not be allowed to happen,” she said.

When asked what led her to doubt that sanctions circumvention was actually taking place, particularly given that the Kulevi oil terminal had been mentioned in this context and the Prime Minister had stated that concrete materials and evidence had been provided, Khvedeliani responded by calling for an independent international investigation to establish the full picture.

The host, Tamta Sanikidze, reminded her guest that missions from both the United Kingdom and the United States had visited Georgia and found no evidence of sanctions circumvention, and asked why doubts and suspicions persist within her party.

Khvedeliani answered: “Of course, there will be many questions and many doubts remaining in our party for as long as Georgian Dream remains in power, because we see what Georgian Dream is doing across the board today.”