Georgian MP: allegations of Ukraine’s Russia negotiator against Georgia “incomprehensible”

Grigol Vashadze, a member of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday criticised David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian lawmaker and the country's chief negotiator with Russia, for his “incomprehensible” allegations of Georgia being used for circumvention of international sanctions placed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Vashadze condemned Arakhamia’s statements as being made “without any facts or evidence”, adding the claims were “not suitable for the alliance of the two countries”, the Georgian Public Broadcaster said.

The MP’s comments follow allegations made by Arakhamia over the recent months on Russian individuals and companies using entities in Georgia to bypass the Western sanctions on Russia.

Vashadze also said he had asked Georgia's Western allies a number of times whether accusations of sanctions circumvention involving Georgia were valid, noting he received “a categorical no as their answer each time”.

The politician also said the Western partners were “interested in how Georgia fulfils its obligations” to the European Union under the Association Agreement, “not propaganda statements”. He cited the President of the European Council Charles Michel on saying, in a recent interview, the country was being judged by the results achieved in its democratic development.