US Assistant Secretary of Commerce: Georgian Gov’t respects international sanctions, export controls on Russia

Arun Venkataraman, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the United States Foreign Commercial Service, on Monday said the Georgian Government was complying with and respecting international sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with the Georgian-based news agency bm.ge, Venkataraman noted he was pleased to see an opportunity for the US to help ensure “Georgia does not become a black hole for sanctions evasion” through its cooperation with the Georgian Government.

The US official also stressed his country was “proud of the powerful coalition” built to resist Russia's illegal aggression in Ukraine, pointing out export controls and sanctions as part of the efforts.

We are proud to have the opportunity to work in this direction with our partners, including Georgia, to stop the Russian war machine”, he noted.

Venkataraman on Thursday wrapped up his visit to Georgia, during which he met the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili to discuss key US economic goals related to energy, logistics, transport and the business climate.

He concluded his visit by touring the Sadakhlo Border Crossing and met with the Georgian Revenue Service and Customs Department to discuss key US commercial and export control goals with the Head of Customs Control and promote the use of US security scanner technology.