Georgian Parliament official praises EU Sanctions Envoy’s letter as rebuttal to Georgia’s critics

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, on Wednesday hailed EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan’s letter as proof of Georgia’s strict adherence to EU sanctions on Russia, calling it a decisive response to years of unfounded accusations.

Reacting to the EU Sanctions Envoy’s appreciative letter, Makhashvili welcomed the rare “sound reasoning” from Brussels and urged an end to efforts to discredit Georgia.

“It is welcome that (though not very often) sound reasoning is sometimes heard from Brussels”, he said.

The official praised the letter as a long-overdue acknowledgement from the European Union, countering four years of baseless claims that Georgia facilitates sanctions evasion.

“This should be a response to everyone who, for about 4 years, has been trying to discredit Georgia and accuse it of something that physically does not exist on the face of the Earth. Georgia firmly upholds sanctions policy. Everyone should stop attempting to tarnish Georgia's name”, Makhashvili concluded.

EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan on Wednesday sent an official letter to the Georgian Government praising its high-level commitment and concrete actions to block the circumvention of EU sanctions on Russia.

In a formal letter addressed to Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and Georgian Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, O'Sullivan expressed gratitude for Georgia’s proactive stance in enforcing EU export controls.

“I thank you for your commitment expressed at the highest level and steps already taken not to allow circumvention of EU sanctions vis-à-vis Russia, as well as for the constant availability of your authorities to address any question related to sanctions circumvention”, he said.