EU Sanctions Envoy praises Georgian Gov’t’s efforts to prevent sanctions circumvention

David O’Sullivan, the European Union’s special envoy for sanctions, has sent a letter to Georgia’s foreign minister Maka Botchorishvili praising the Georgian government’s efforts to prevent its territory from being used for the export and re-export of sensitive goods to Russia.

In a letter, O’Sullivan noted that Brussels highly values the steps taken by the Georgian authorities to ensure compliance with international sanctions.

“We appreciate your continued efforts in this regard and request that you continue to ensure Georgia’s territory is not used for the transit or re-export of such sensitive goods to Russia”, O'Sullivan said.

O'Sullivan also informed the Georgian side that the European Union had removed the Kulevi oil terminal from the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.

“The Kulevi Port located in Georgia was initially proposed for possible inclusion in the 20th sanctions package due to its role in the maritime transport of Russian oil and port calls by Shadow Fleet tankers. This initial position has been reassessed following the positive commitments that your authorities and the port operator have taken”, the letter noted

“I welcome your commitment that Georgia will not allow EU-sanctioned vessels to enter its ports or receive services and SOCAR’s commitments that it will conduct its activities in strict compliance with relevant EU sanctions, including by respecting the price cap and EU’s imports bans on Russian crude oil and of refined products made from such oil. These commitments have been critical for our review of the situation and ultimately led to the non-inclusion of the Kulevi port in our 20th sanctions package”, the EU official concluded.