Opposition MP: Georgian authorities “doing everything” to prevent circumvention of Russia sanctions

Khatuna Samnidze, an opposition MP and the Chair of the Republican Party, on Tuesday said the Georgian authorities were “doing everything” to prevent use of the country’s territory for circumvention of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Samnidze stressed Georgian authorities were standing by the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Kremlin.

Many political statements have been made regarding the circumvention of sanctions, but this requires specific evidence, [and] it seems that there is no such evidence, and Georgia is doing everything to ensure that there is no circumvention of sanctions in this country, and on the contrary, Georgia is on the side of the sanctions imposed by the European Union”, the opposition MP said.

Samnidze also stressed the comment by the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who on Monday said he was “glad that Georgia supported all the financial sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU”, was “proof” of the country’s adherence to the bloc’s decisions.

Despite many wrong statements made by [the ruling] Georgian Dream [party] on specific issues related to sanctions, Georgia is not a space where they can be bypassed”, she concluded.

Samnidze’s comments follow claims by some Ukrainian officials and a part of the domestic Georgian media on the Georgian territory being used for circumvention of the sanctions since the start of the war in Ukraine.