“The whole range of sanctions can provide some form of results”, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili echoed the sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia after Moscow recognized two breakaway regions of Ukraine.

President believes that the sanctions that have been imposed are more symbolic, though they most likely will be tightened. She noted that the mechanism of sanctions is essential for a democratic country.

“What is happening today in terms of sanctions I will not differ from the stance that the international community has as a whole. The sanctions are the answer when you are a democratic country and do not answer war by war. It may be perceived by someone as a weakness of democracy, but that is how democracy works.

Because there is a major difference between democracy and dictatory or autocratic regimes. Democracy cares about the lives of the citizens and that is something that can turn maybe sometimes into weaknesses. So, the normal way to answer is, of course, sanctions. I think the sanctions that have been imposed now probably are more symbolic than anything else. Because I’m not sure that there are many American investors that are ready to go to Donetsk or Lugansk. But it’s a signal that probably the sanctions are going to be something of a different kind than what we have seen before.

The lesson to be learned from the past, from 2008 in the case of Georgia, 2014 in the case of Ukraine, is that our Western partners did not use all the possibilities they had at that time. The cost to Russia was not much to deter it from doing it again,” Zourabichvili declared.

President stated that sanctions brought results in some cases and Western countries have such experience.

“Without war, what can be done? Mechanisms are sanctions. The whole range of sanctions can provide some form of results. There is an experience of the Western countries about sanctions that can be put to use,” Zourabichvili said.