Minister of Economy, Levan Davitashvili, Affirms Reliable Partnership in Sanctions Enforcement and Evasion Prevention
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
During the discussions surrounding the EU Special Representative for Sanctions, David O'Sullivan's visit to Georgia, the Minister of Economy, Levan Davitashvili, stressed the utmost importance of closely collaborating with strategic partners to ensure effective enforcement of sanctions and prevent any attempts to evade them.
Davitashvili highlighted that Georgia is an exceptionally trustworthy partner when it comes to enforcing sanctions.
"In this regard, Georgia emerges as an exceptionally reliable partner for the European Union, the United States of America, and Britain. We maintain regular communication with our partners at a personal level, including representatives from the customs structure and the Ministry of Finance, among others. The Ministry of Finance and relevant entities have implemented several precautionary measures to counter attempts at circumventing EU sanctions.
We acknowledge that the implementation of sanctions is not an easy process for the countries imposing them. There are inherent risks, including the potential misuse of Georgia as a transit point by these countries. However, Georgia has been proactive in responding and has successfully thwarted dozens of such cases. Additionally, there is a risk of sending sanctioned cargo to a sanctioned country through third countries. In this context, Georgia actively engages in close cooperation with partner countries to facilitate the exchange of relevant information," stated Davitashvili.
As highlighted by Levan Davitashvili, during David O'Sullivan's visit, they will review and summarize the progress made in their collaborative efforts with partners since the imposition of sanctions.
"In order to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions, we conduct various trainings, meetings, and seminars. It is crucial to have clear guidelines and to communicate these guidelines effectively to the relevant executive officers. We have established multiple forms of cooperation and good practices in this regard. During our discussions with partners, we will specifically address these issues and assess the progress made since the imposition of sanctions. A comprehensive report, prepared by various agencies, will be shared with our partners," said Davitashvili.
During the briefing following the conclusion of the government session, Davitashvili reiterated in response to a question that Georgia does not evade sanctions.
