"The transit of electronic goods through Georgia to Russia has increased" - US State Department

Transit of electronic goods through Georgia to Russia

Georgia fully complies with the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, but the transit of electronic goods through Georgia to Russia, which is already considered illegal, has increased, James O’Brien, head of the US State Department’s sanctions coordination department, said in an interview with Voice of America.

“Most of this trade was legal until the end of 2022, when the EU and the G7 countries introduced restrictions. I hope that businesses that have been involved in this type of business will understand that it worked for a period of time, but it ended. And now it has to stop completely.”

According to him, the Georgian Ministry of Finance, the customs service and the National Bank are “excellent partners, and we believe” that they are working closely with the United States to stop Russia’s attempts to circumvent sanctions:

“Sanctions are more effective when there are no loopholes that ease pressure on the Kremlin. The full implementation of these sanctions will not harm the Georgian economy, but it will be difficult for the Kremlin to continue the destructive war against Ukraine.”

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The American publication Politico writes that the US has identified five countries that help Russia evade sanctions, and one of these countries is Georgia. The publication is based on a speech by U.S. State Department sanctions coordinator Jim O’Brien at the annual meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

“The US has identified five countries in particular that are causing the circumvention problem [of sanctions]: Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, and Armenia,” the Politico article says.

if a country has a border with Russia, there is always a risk factor [of circumventing sanctions], Giorgi Kakauridze, Deputy Finance Minister of Georgia, said in response to O’Brien’s statement.

“All goods from the sanctions list are under control, not a single dual-use product has gone to Russia,” Kakauridze says.

Deputy Finance Minister Giorgi Kakauridze responded to Jim O’Brien’s statement and said that when we have a border with Russia, there is always a risk factor [of circumventing sanctions].