Parliament Speaker: Georgia "not a way” for Russia to bypass sanctions
The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said there were no grounds for claims Georgia was used by Russia to bypass international sanctions imposed on the country for its invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said there were no grounds for claims Georgia was used by Russia to bypass international sanctions imposed on the country for its invasion of Ukraine.
[G]eorgia is not a way for Russia to bypass the [international] sanctions. The result is that there is no one who can actually say that Georgia has been used as a means of circumvention. This is the result. This result stands because the Government [of Georgia] is working in this direction,” the Parliament Speaker said.
On May 9, British Ambassador to Georgia Mark Clayton said Georgia was “playing its part” in the package of international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Clayton said Georgian state agencies were making efforts to ensure the country would not be used by Russia to avoid the sanctions for its invasion, calling moves by the authorities “rapid”.
Archil Talakvadze, the Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker, on Tuesday said comments by the United Kingdom Ambassador Mark Clayton confirmed there was no evidence for claims by some Ukrainian authorities about Georgia being used to bypass sanctions placed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
British Ambassador to Georgia Mark Clayton said Georgia was “playing its part” in the package of international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, in an interview released by Interpressnews agency on Monday.
The head of the ruling Georgian Dream Party Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the Georgian Government maintained trade relations with Russia “just like Ukraine does” amid the latter’s ongoing invasion of Ukrainian territory.
Levan Davitashvili, the Georgian Economy Minister, on Wednesday said the country was part of “all international decisions on the sanctions” imposed by the international community against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, and adhered to the agreements with Georgia’s international partners.
The Georgian Embassy in Washington on Wednesday said the allegation by Ukrainian lawmaker David Arakhamia that Russian individuals and companies were using entities in Georgia to bypass Western sanctions were “completely false”, Reuters reported.
The National Bank of Georgia on Thursday said it "categorically rules out" the possibility of individuals sanctioned in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine carrying out “any kind of financial transaction” using the Georgian banking sector.