EU Ambassador to Georgia Highlights Importance of Avoiding Use of Georgia to Evade Russia Sanctions, Expresses Hope for Georgia's EU Accession Progress
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
In a recent statement, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, highlighted the importance of ensuring that Georgia is not used to evade sanctions against Russia. According to Herczynski, the European Union has imposed the toughest sanctions against Russia as part of a multilateral policy aimed at changing Russia's behavior and ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Herczynski stressed that the EU's sanctions against Russia are an essential element of this policy, and all 27 member states have agreed on a new package of sanctions each time. The EU is also working together with international partners to ensure that the sanctions are effective.
While acknowledging that different countries contribute to joint efforts against Russia in different ways, Herczynski stated that Georgia has imposed some but not all of the EU's sanctions. He urged the country to ensure that its territories and companies are not used to evade sanctions, saying, "We want Georgia to ensure that it is not used to evade sanctions. At the moment, we have no information that Georgia is helping Russia to evade sanctions."
Herchinsky emphasized that the EU's ultimate goal is to change Russia's behavior and put an end to the war in Ukraine. He called on Russia to stop its aggression against Ukraine and to work towards a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Pawel Herczynski also expressed his hope for Georgia to make progress in implementing reforms, to pave the way for its accession to the European Union (EU). He emphasized that the EU wants to expand and offer other countries, including Georgia, the opportunity to join their family of 27 sovereign nations. However, he noted that the decision to join the EU ultimately lies with Georgia and its people.
Herczynski mentioned that the current support for European integration and EU membership in Georgia is the highest in history, at 89%. He assured that the EU is there to support and help the Georgian government in achieving its goal of joining the EU. However, he emphasized that this is a process that every country that has joined the EU had to go through and it is in the hands of Georgian political elites to make sufficient progress in terms of implementing necessary reforms.
"We respect whatever decision is made by Georgia, by the Georgian political elite, by the Georgian population. We are here to help, to support and to ensure that the Government of Georgia has all the necessary support to achieve this goal, but this work is for Georgians to do," Herczynski said.
EU Ambassador to Georgia expressed his hope that Georgia will continue to make appropriate progress in implementing reforms, so that the EU can continue to take steps towards Georgia's accession to the EU family.
