“Partners may advise us, but we must be guided by our national interests,” stated Paata Manjgaladze, one of the leaders of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party. He emphasized that no one recognizes the Georgian Dream government internationally and that Georgia should not be swayed by others’ opinions on sanctions.

“We have heads on our shoulders to make decisions in Georgia’s best interest. I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat: we shouldn’t allow Russian black money to circulate in the country. We are aligned on this, and the regime acknowledges this. We have never suggested imposing an economic embargo on Russia, and that’s just propaganda as if someone wanted radicalization while the so-called government was very calm,” Manjgaladze noted.

He stated that the opposition party Strategy Aghmashenebeli has consistently advocated for prioritizing Georgia’s national interests, including regarding sanctions.

“The reality is different—no one recognizes the so-called regime on the international stage, and who remains as their partners? Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas. We, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, have consistently maintained that our decisions should be guided solely by Georgia’s interests. Giorgi Vashadze has called for greater control over individuals entering the border, and there have been discussions about increasing imports of various dual-use technologies. Georgia must prioritize its national interests, particularly regarding sanctions. The Georgian Dream is not advocating this; rather, it is promoting and disseminating Russian narratives,” Manjgaladze noted.