Revenue Service rejects "false information" on Czech-made products being exported to Russia
The Revenue Service acknowledged imports of goods from European Union countries including the Czech Republic had increased, adding "most of the goods" included machinery, devices and primary consumer goods imported by companies and intended for local consumption, "not for re-export to other countries". Photo: Revenue Service
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Georgia's Revenue Service on Friday "categorically and with full responsibility" declared the media report on Wednesday that cited the Czech Ambassador as saying Czech-made products had been exported from Georgia to Russia in a circumvention of international sanctions as "false information".
Georgian news outlet Netgazeti quoted Petr Mikiska as saying exports of Czech products to Georgia had almost doubled in 2022 compared to last year, and claiming at least a part of the difference had gone to Russia.
The Revenue Service acknowledged imports of goods from European Union countries including the Czech Republic had increased, adding "most of the goods" included machinery, devices and primary consumer goods imported by companies and intended for local consumption, "not for re-export to other countries".
The statement also said Georgia "strictly takes into account" the restrictions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries on trade with Russia and Belarus.
It also said products on the sanctions list were subject to special customs control, with "hundreds of cases" of refusals issued by authorities on releasing goods produced in the EU to Russia and vice-versa.
The Service also said it was "surprising and incomprehensible" to see the Czech ambassador release "unverified, false information" and "cast doubt on Georgia as a reliable partner country without any evidence or justification".
The statement also noted the Service had held a number of meetings with embassies of EU member states, including the Czech Republic, "where the measures taken by the Georgian customs service in the process of sanctions enforcement were highly appreciated".
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said there could be a “diplomatic response” if an allegation by Mikiska was confirmed. Kobakhidze noted similar statements had been made by high-ranking officials of the Ukrainian government before the claims were retracted.
The revenue service of the ministry of finance of Georgia on Monday responded to media reports alleging an import to Georgia of thousands of tonnes of petrol from a company sanctioned under the international community’s measures against Russia, rejecting the claims as “disinformation”.
The Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia on Thursday dismissed reports by several opposition-minded TV channels on alleged problems in monitoring of international cargo shipments and provision of border crossing procedures at the Kazbegi checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border in the north of Georgia.
Petr Mikyska, the Czech Ambassador to Georgia, on Friday said the media had "misinterpreted" his comments about Czech-made products being exported to Russia via Georgia.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said there could be a “diplomatic response” if an allegation by Czech ambassador Petr Mikyska about Czech-made products being exported from Georgia to Russia was confirmed to have been made.
The Czech Embassy in Georgia on Friday said Petr Mikyska, the Czech Ambassador to Georgia, valued the “principled” position of Georgian authorities on the international sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and “detailed” that his comments had been disseminated “out of context” by the media about Czech-made products exported to Russia via Georgia.
A majority of Georgian citizens agree with the Government’s decision not to join economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the international community following its invasion of Ukraine, a new survey has shown.
Georgian customs officers seized ₾33,628 ($12,526) worth of undeclared gold items on the Sarpi border crossing checkpoint with Turkey in the south-west of the country, the Revenue Service announced on Tuesday.
The Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Control Division of the Customs Department of the Revenue Service, as a result of the inspection, has returned 42 tonnes of potatoes, imported from Russia, back to the country from the Kazbegi customs checkpoint due to non-compliance with food safety requirements, the Service said on Wednesday.
The Revenue Service of the Georgian Finance Ministry on Sunday responded to media reports alleging an import of sanctioned goods to Georgia from a Russian company [under sanctions imposed by the international community against Russia] and elucidated that the sanctions did not refer to the company, its owners or shipment.
Customs officers at the Kazbegi checkpoint on the country’s northern border with Russia returned potato and sawn lumber batches to exporting countries after the products failed sanitary and phytosanitary inspection, the Revenue Service said on Tuesday.
Georgia's Revenue Service on Wednesday denied reports that said customs procedures had been only recently changed by Georgian authorities to ensure enforcement of international sanctions on Russia and Belarus, stressing “strict control” was in place to ensure their enforcement.