Parliament Speaker: Gov’t policy on Russia sanctions has brought “stability” to country
Earlier today, the Georgian foreign office said Georgia was maintaining the “practice of recent years” regarding the Magnitsky List, which it said “our partners are aware of”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said the Georgian Government’s policy of not implementing sanctions on Russia had “brought us a stable situation in Georgia”.
Papuashvili was asked why the Government had refused to join the prolongation of the Magnitsky List - a roster of Russian officials responsible for the 2009 death of tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in detention - for subsequent Western sanctions.
Georgia has an announced policy and we will follow this policy. This policy has brought us a sufficiently stable situation in Georgia, which ensures our development. This policy brought us the European Union membership candidate status. So we are following the policy that we have announced for a long time”, he said.
Earlier today, the Georgian foreign office said Georgia was maintaining the “practice of recent years” regarding the Magnitsky List, which it said “our partners are aware of”.
As a candidate country for EU membership, Georgia has supported extension of the bloc’s sanctions against leaders of North Korea and Moldova’s separatist region of Transnistria.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said domestic authorities had prevented “1,000 cases” of attempts of evasion of the international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, with “not a single fact” of their successful circumvention identified in the country.
The 2023 Investment Climate Statements of the United States Department of State on Thursday said the National Bank of Georgia and financial institutions of the country were acting “fully” in accordance with the international financial sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday highlighted this week’s visit of sanctions officials from the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States to the country by saying the domestic public had heard their assessments of “effective control” by the Government in not allowing circumvention of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Sanctions officials from the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, who were on a visit to Georgia this week, on Wednesday highlighted they had been “convinced” that the country’s Government was “seriously” determined not to allow the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday claimed the country’s citizens had “rejected” the opposition United National Movement party, President Salome Zourabichvili - who he said was “now [playing] to their tune” - and other political groups, adding the European Union had done the same with its decision to grant the country the bloc’s membership candidate status earlier this month.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Friday said “many cases” of “disinformation” and “fake news” on enforcement in Georgia of the international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine had been observed over the past year.
The Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance on Thursday said “no specific facts” had been presented by senators Ron Johnson and Richard Blumenthal to the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to confirm claims of violations of international sanctions imposed on Russia through Georgian territory.