Georgian Finance Minister: Georgia complies fully with international sanctions

In response to a question about Georgia’s implementation of international sanctions, Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Monday said that every country had its responsibility, and Georgia fulfilled its obligations effectively.

In his remarks, Khutsishvili noted that for every case that was publicised by the media or various organisations, there was an appropriate response.

“No case goes unnoticed, and as you know, the Ministry of Finance, the Revenue Service, and the Customs Department of Georgia have issued hundreds of statements regarding this. Some specific cases mentioned by certain media outlets today were, of course, verified, and these transactions have no connection to Georgia. Suspicious transactions occur in different countries around the world, but not everything can be linked to Georgia. We are responsible for all transactions conducted in Georgia or through Georgia. The specific transactions discussed have no connection to Georgia and were not exported from Georgia to any sanctioned countries. Accordingly, no type of accusation can be made, since all operations that could be related to sanctions are under very strict control”, the Finance Minister stated.

He further added that exported products reached the countries to which they were shipped from Georgia, and any further movement was the responsibility of the receiving countries.

“The vehicles you mentioned go exactly to the countries where they are exported from Georgia. Where these vehicles go from those countries is beyond Georgia’s responsibility. Georgia cannot be held accountable for the entire global logistics chain, from one end of the world to the other. Every country has its own responsibility, and Georgia fulfills its responsibility very successfully”, Khutsishvili concluded.