Expert on Sanctions against Georgia: "This Was the Final Warning"

Georgian Center for Strategic Analysis founder Giorgi Rukhadze highly appreciates the recent interview of former US Ambassador to Russia and Coordinator of the Russia Sanctions Policy Office at the Ukrainian President’s Office, Michael McFaul, and says it is a final warning from McFaul.

As Michael McFaul stated, they have substantial evidence that Georgian individuals and organizations are assisting Russia in circumventing sanctions.

“Our group did discuss specific individuals and organizations from Georgia that we are considering imposing sanctions on. We will release new documents during the summer. We have substantial evidence indicating that they are helping Russia evade sanctions or, so to say, ‘cut the path,’ and we want to shed light on this,” said Michael McFaul.

Giorgi Rukhadze: “When representatives from the US, the European Union, and the United Kingdom arrived together [in Georgia] to discuss sanctions, they showed us a list of 38 goods that cannot be exported to Russia. The purpose of their meetings and briefings was not to punish anyone; their goal was to prevent Russia from obtaining goods that it could use in the military industry. As for McFaul’s group, their task is not prevention; they are an investigative body searching for facts, and if they find any, they cannot impose punishment. They provide this information to the US, the EU, and policymakers make decisions based on it.”

• “The EU is disappointed that Georgia does not support sanctions against Russia” – EU Special Representative
• «Any country attempting to circumvent sanctions against Russia concerns us» — US State Department on Georgia
• How the Georgian Judicial System Fell Under Western Sanctions

I believe this is McFaul’s final warning, and if someone is doing something, they should react promptly.

It is very challenging for a country when a representative of authority falls under sanctions because it signifies that they are using their power to assist Russia.

It is also unfortunate that Georgian Airways has been placed under Ukrainian sanctions. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that this company will soon face international sanctions as well. It will be even worse if sanctions are imposed on individual officials.

Let’s wait for further statements from McFaul, but I think Ivanishvili and his circle have little time left to comprehend what has already been said.

The Georgian Dream party shrugs and says it’s unfair, it’s biased. It doesn’t matter if he is objective or not. What matters is that you find yourself on the list of suspicious countries.”