Bordering Russia “natural risk” for sanctions evasion but “no single case” evidenced in Georgia - Deputy Finance MInister

Russia’s potential use of neighbouring countries for evading international sanctions imposed on it for invading Ukraine is a “natural risk”, but “no case” of evasion of the restrictions has been evidenced on the territory of Georgia, Giorgi Kakauridze, the Deputy Finance Minister of Georgia, said on Friday. 

Kakauridze’s comment followed an article published by Politico on Thursday, in which authors cited James O'Brien, the Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the United States Department of State, as saying his office had identified five countries causing the circumvention problem - Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates and Armenia.

Exports of key microchips and electronics that Russia needs for its war machine are back to pre-war levels, as Russia has gotten better at circumventing sanctions”, Politico cited the US official as saying in his comments on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations. 

Kakauridze stressed O'Brien had mentioned the problem “as a risk factor” and not a statement of fact, with the Georgian official adding “all sanctioned products” were being “strictly controlled” by Georgian authorities, and that “not a single dual-use item” had gone to Russia via Georgia. 

Not a single fact has been evidenced so far [of Russia’s use of] Georgia for evading international sanctions, and this will not happen in the future either”, the Deputy Minister said. 

He also stressed the Government was in “close cooperation” with relevant agencies both in the US and the European Union to prevent circumvention of sanctions by Moscow, adding “they know best what volume of work has been performed by the [Georgian] customs services, what volume of cargo has been transported, and other related details”.