Legitimate Georgia. How long will Ivanishvili be able to run away from Trump?

Exclusive. Despite the heroism of the Georgian protesters, which took place, albeit to a limited extent, so far Boris Ivanishvili, as we predicted, we don't wash it with skating, but it takes its own. True, every month he has to pay for it with limited legitimacy. At the court of the new-old president Donald Trump, who was friends with Mikhail Saakashvili at one time, the shadow ruler of Georgia is by no means spared - the core of the Republican Party is doing everything today to remove this cunning friend of Russia, China and Iran from the spherical chessboard of the 47th presidency.

Europe is not far behind.

Ambassador of the EU to Georgia Pavel Herchynskyi is delighted from the resilience of the Georgian people in the struggle for democracy, and in shock from the actions of the Georgian authorities, who are changing "bad policy for worse."

"Georgia's retreat from democracy, which has been observed for several months, could not remain without reaction from our side. Yesterday, the EU decided to introduce restrictions for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports, so that those who represent the authorities will have to apply for a visa if they decide to go to the territory of the European Union on a diplomatic or service passport."

As you know, the Council of the EU on January 27 decided to pause the effect of certain parts of the agreement on the simplification of the visa regime between Georgia and the EU. The visa-free regime has been suspended for Georgian diplomats and officials. "Fundamental rights and democratic values ​​are the key principles of EU integration. Officials representing a country that despises these values ​​should not benefit from simplified access to the EU," said Tomasz Semoniak, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of Poland, which presides over the Council of the EU.

For trips to the EU member states, as explained in the Council of the European Union, Georgian diplomats and officials will also no longer be able to use shortened terms for considering applications, lower visa fees and the ability to submit fewer supporting documents.

The validity of the Agreement on simplification of visa issuance will be suspended for the following categories of persons:

• members of official delegations of Georgia participating in official meetings and other events held on the territory of the EU by intergovernmental organizations;
• members of the national and regional governments and parliaments of Georgia, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Georgia;
• holders of diplomatic passports.

Citizens of Georgia who are recognized as owners ordinary passports, and in the future will use the visa-free regime during short-term trips to the EU.

It was previously reported that Slovakia and Hungary opposed the adoption of these sanctions, but this did not affect the outcome, as only a qualified majority is required for the decision.

"Brussels fully supports Warsaw in this initiative," said Polish Ambassador to Georgia Artur Gebal. He called the decision to suspend the visa-free regime for holders of Georgian diplomatic passports "good". But Ambassador Gebal, as a representative of the country chairing the EU, was unable to answer the question of whether additional sanctions would be adopted against the ruling "Georgian Dream".

"We believe that this is a symbolic gesture and the first step on the part of the European Union, which we supported.

On December 20, Washington and London imposed sanctions against Georgia's interior minister and other officials for their role in brutally suppressing protests against the government's decision to postpone EU membership negotiations until 2028.

Following Great Britain, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions as part of a "coordinated" response.

Sanctions included travel bans and asset freezes for Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelaura and other high-ranking officials. Great Britain also introduced similar measures against Deputy Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze and three police officers, two of whom had already been under US sanctions since September.

The US and UK sanctions followed actions taken by both governments against the Georgian administration earlier, when London cut support for the Georgian government and limited defense cooperation, while the US imposed visa restrictions on approximately two dozen people accused of subverting democracy.

But will there be other leaders in the Georgian opposition, except for the long-suffering Salome and congressman from South Carolina Wilson?

Unlikely, but for now do not lose hope.

Georgy Berydzeanalyst Candidacy Assessment Institute (CAI), Tbilisi, for Newsky