Georgia rejoins extended EU sanctions in response to illegal annexation of Crimea, Sevastopol

Georgia has rejoined extended EU sanctions first put in place in 2014 in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia.

The Council of Europe’s (CoE) decision made on June 18 extends the existing restrictive measures until June 23, 2021.

The restrictive measures currently in place include an import ban on goods from Crimea and Sevastopol, restrictions on trade and investment related to certain economic sectors and infrastructure projects, a prohibition on supplying tourism services to the Crimea or Sevastopol, and an export ban for certain goods and technologies.

The economic sanctions are extended once a year.

The official statement of CoE reads that Georgia, as well as m five other countries (Montenegro, Albania, Iceland, Norway and Ukraine) aligning with the EU decision, will ensure their national policies conform to this council decision’.

Sanctions were first introduced in June 2014 in response to Russia’s attempt to deliberately undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity and destabilise the country.