Georgian Foreign Ministry summons Lithuanian, Estonian ambassadors, Latvian Chargé d’Affaires over statements on sanctions on Georgian officials

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia on Tuesday said it had summoned ambassadors of Lithuania and Estonia, as well as the Chargé d’Affaires of Latvia, to express its concerns regarding recent statements made by governments of their countries on intentions of imposing sanctions on senior officials of the Georgian Government and law enforcement amid public protests in the country against the Government’s suspension of talks for European Union accession.

The meeting with Darius Vitkauskas, Marge Mardisalu-Kahar and Lolita Lenkeviča emphasised such statements were “inconsistent with the established framework of partnership between the countries”, the Ministry said.

The Georgian side reiterated its commitment to international norms and insisted the state authorities operated within the bounds of the Constitution and international standards to “maintain public order and security” amid the rallies, the body added.

This includes law enforcement agencies ensuring the peaceful expression of protests and responding to violations of the legal norms governing the expression of protests”, it said.

The meeting also noted the Georgian side finds unacceptable the statements aimed at influencing the activities of sovereign state institutions, which are perceived as interference in the internal affairs of the country”, the body said.

In addition, the Ministry “clarified” the Georgian Government’s stance on European integration, claiming  the decision to exclude discussions on EU accession talks from the agenda until 2028 and refuse EU grant budget support “does not signify a halt in the European integration process”.

Instead, the Ministry claimed this approach aimed to “prevent damaging speculation” surrounding Georgia’s EU aspirations.

The foreign office said the Government had reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling the priorities outlined in the Constitution and accelerating the process of European integration as per the Association Agreement signed between the country and the bloc in 2014, “dispelling claims” that negotiations with the EU have been suspended.

During the meeting, the Ministry expressed hope the parties would “return to the traditionally friendly relations” between the countries and that cooperation would be “based on mutual respect”.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, on Sunday posted on X that the three Baltic States “jointly agreed” to impose national sanctions against “those who suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia”, adding “opponents of democracy and violators of human rights are not welcome in our countries”.