Russia Publishes the List of ‘Unfriendly Countries’, Georgia Not Among Them
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
The Russian government has approved a list of unfriendly countries. The list includes countries that have made ‘unfriendly acts’ against Russia, according to the Russian media agency Tass.
Non-friendly countries include the USA, Canada, EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Northern Macedonia, Singapore, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Japan.
On March 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to compile a list of unfriendly countries after many countries around the world imposed sanctions on Russia.
The list did not include Georgia, whose government, in the ‘national interest’, refused to join the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West and many other countries around the world. The list also does not include any countries of the former Soviet Union, except Ukraine and the Baltic states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an ordinance on March 6 instructing the government to set a two-day list of countries that ‘engage in unfriendly activities’ against citizens and companies of the Russian Federation.
According to Putin's decree, Russian organizations will be allowed to pay off debts to creditors of ‘unfriendly countries’ in Russian rubles or ‘in another way’ as determined by the Central Bank and the Russian Ministry of Finance.
Russia has been waging war against Ukraine since February 24, preceded by Putin's recognition of Ukraine's 2 breakaway regions’ ‘independence’ - Donetsk Earlier, Russia demanded guarantees that Ukraine won’t become a member of NATO.
Putin has announced a ‘special military operation’, as his government has been referring to the war in Ukraine to "demilitarize and denationalize" Ukraine. The Russian army is bombing not only military but also civilian facilities in Ukraine. The war has already claimed the lives of hundreds of peaceful Ukrainians. More than 1.5 million have become refugees.
Due to the start of the war against Ukraine, Western states have imposed severe sanctions on the Russian economy and financial sectors, government officials, and those close to them.
