Economy Minister says foreign officials confirmed “correct steps” by Gov’t in enforcement of Russia sanctions

Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Thursday said visiting sanctions officials from the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom had “once again confirmed” the “correct steps” being taken by the Georgian Government in its enforcement of the international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The Ministry cited Davitashvili in his comments on the visit of David O’Sullivan, the European Union Sanctions Envoy, Jim O’Brien, the Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the United States State Department, and Kumar Iyer, the Director General for Economics, Science and Technology at the United Kingdom Foreign Office, this week, with the Minister sharing the feedback in a press briefing earlier today.

They recognised, specifically evaluated and made clear statements about the partnership that Georgia has with its strategic partners, and as a result, we heard only words of gratitude. Georgia is an important ally of the partners. You know that we have a direct border with Russia, so close cooperation with Georgia is important for our partners", Davitashvili said.

The Minister also said the two-day visit, which started on Monday, had involved domestic state agencies sharing information on how to prevent circumvention of the sanctions.

In his comments, O’Sullivan said the Government of Georgia was “taking seriously” the issue of not allowing the country to be used to circumvent sanctions. "We are leaving the country with a positive impression”, he said.