Khatiashvili: Banning Parties May Trigger Tough US Steps

One of the leaders of "Free Georgia" and member of its political council, Nikoloz Khatiashvili, said that the rating and support of Georgian Dream are low, while public dissatisfaction is high. According to him, therefore the ruling team also considers low-rated parties as competitors and sees a threat from them as well. He made this statement on the "Tavisuplebis Studia" program of Palitranews while speaking about banning parties.

According to Khatiashvili, the steps taken by Georgian Dream are music to Russia's ears. In his explanation, after losing elections abroad, the government banned nearly a million emigrants from voting, and now it acts on the same principle: by banning parties, it deprives nearly a million people who support the opposition of the right to choose. According to Khatiashvili's assessment, this is done to preserve power, but this step may play a very serious trigger role and set many processes in motion.

According to him, the more severe the situation becomes and the more Georgia moves into a "grey zone" regime, the more this serves Russia's interests, because it does not want countries near its borders to develop democratically.

Khatiashvili says that there is now geopolitical turbulence, there is also turmoil in Europe, for example in France, and Europe is focused on Ukraine's security. According to him, it is possible that Georgian Dream thinks no one will have time for Georgia now and that they will take this step safely. However, if the decision is actually made, Khatiashvili is convinced that the international community, including the US, will take decisive steps. According to him, certain US steps may be seen even in December.

He considers the prospect of "some arrangement" with the US less realistic. According to Khatiashvili, America supports freedom of expression, and banning parties directly deprives people of the right to vote, and the US will not be satisfied with this. In his view, this step may also become a consolidating factor in Georgian society, and the opposition, which fails to unite, may find a unifying impetus precisely at this critical moment.

Answering a question about the EU's reaction, Khatiashvili did not rule out that the EU may use certain sanctions or economic levers against Georgia, but he does not expect the abolition of visa liberalization. According to him, the distancing from the EU has already affected citizens: a number of EU-funded projects have stopped, non-governmental organizations have been closed, and much in the country has been disrupted.

According to Khatiashvili's assessment, the decision on banning parties will first be reflected in the EU enlargement report to be published in November. He is convinced that the report will be far more critical than last year's. He does not rule out initiating sanctions, but according to him, this will likely happen in January or after, when Lithuania becomes the rotating presidency of the EU. This year he does not expect concrete steps, such as suspending visa liberalization. According to him, the EU will not take a step that would harm the Georgian people, and if economic levers are used, Georgian Dream will be responsible.

Khatiashvili also assessed the majority meeting held on Saturday, which was attended by Georgian Dream's honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili. According to him, the party is now in crisis, and the meeting aimed to de-escalate the situation within the team. Khatiashvili said that there are certain problems, disagreements and fear within Georgian Dream, and in his view party members do not feel safe and have no guarantee that in two years they will not end up in the same place as Grigol Liluashvili and Irakli Gharibashvili. Khatiashvili added that the separate question is how much this meeting would have contributed to consolidation within the team.