Radicals, NGOs pushed Kulevi port sanctions, Georgian Parliament official claims, but efforts collapsed

Levan Machavariani, the first deputy chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Tuesday praised the European Union’s decision to exclude the Kulevi Port from the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.

Machavariani’s comments came after the European Union decided to remove Georgia’s Kulevi Oil Terminal from the bloc’s 20th package of sanctions against Russia, following commitments made by the Georgian government and the port’s operator.

Machavariani recalled the campaign between 2022 and 2023 led by domestic radicals, who claimed that Georgia was being used as a loophole for Russia to bypass sanctions.

“These radicals, wealthy NGOs, and even a few ambassadors, unfortunately, acted in close coordination with the National Movement party. They were very eager for sanctions and spread a lot of disinformation. In this case, I can single out [German ambassador Peter] Fischer, who insisted that there was evidence to sanction the port. Of course, everything fell apart. We even received a letter of thanks from Mr. O’Sullivan”, Machavariani noted.