US Ambassador: Ukrainian MP has not produced “any evidence” in sanctions accusations against Georgian Gov’t

“This is a very straightforward response from the European Council, from the European Union to Georgia: that Georgia is part of Europe and the EU  wants to welcome Georgia in, but needs Georgia to demonstrate its commitment to democracy and to the reforms”, she noted. Photo: US Embassy Tbilisi.

Agenda.ge, 28 Jun 2022 - 21:04, Tbilisi,Georgia

Kelly Degnan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Tuesday said David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, had not produced “any evidence” to support his allegations that the Georgian Government is involved in facilitating evasion of international sanctions placed on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Degnan made her remarks to the media at the launch of a new Public Defender’s Office partnership programme of the United States Agency for International Development, and urged Georgian and Ukrainian governments to discuss “these serious allegations” through diplomatic channels and not through the media.

The American diplomat stressed the importance of the two Governments reconciling their positions on the matter, claiming their divergence would only benefit Russia.

These are very serious allegations, and as I’ve said before, this kind of discussion, in my view, should be held government to government and not through the media [...] I heard the Georgian Government has responded to these accusations, and Mr. Arakhamia has not produced any evidence”, the Ambassador said. 

Arakhamia made the allegations earlier this month, saying Russian individuals and companies were using entities in Georgia to bypass Western sanctions. The claims have been rejected by Georgian officials and authorities including the National Bank of Georgia, which said it "categorically” ruled 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. 

In comments on the launch of the new USAID partnership programme, Degnan noted it would “further strengthen” the effectiveness of the Georgian Public Defender’s Office and  ensure protection of citizens’ rights.

She also addressed Georgia’s European Union membership application and stressed the importance of the Government working with “all the stakeholders”, including opposition parties and civil society, to address the conditions and recommendations of the European Council, which she called a “clear way forward” for the country to obtain the membership candidate status. 

This is a very straightforward response from the European Council, from the European Union to Georgia: that Georgia is part of Europe and the EU  wants to welcome Georgia in, but needs Georgia to demonstrate its commitment to democracy and to the reforms”, she noted.

The European Council on June 23 granted the membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and said it would be ready to grant the same status to Georgia once the outstanding priorities outlined by the European Commission were addressed by the Georgian Government.