On October 29, Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Bochorishvili, said that she had received a letter of appreciation from the European Union, stating that Georgia is properly fulfilling its cooperation-related commitments and diligently carrying out all actions aimed at preventing the risk of sanctions evasion. Later, media outlets published the full version of the letter, authored by the EU Sanctions Envoy, David O’Sullivan. The letter was addressed to Maka Bochorishvili and the Minister of Economy, Mariam Kvrivishvili.
That same day, representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party, pro-government experts, and Facebook users claimed that the letter praised Georgia for its adherence to sanctions. Some of them pointed to what they called the EU’s “double standards,” referring to the fact that the Union both sent a “letter of appreciation” and, at the same time, criticized the Georgian government.
Speaking on TV channel Rustavi 2, Georgian Dream MP Maia Bitadze stated that Georgia had received a letter from the EU representative saying that the country had implemented an impressive and very successful sanctions policy. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also commented on O’Sullivan’s letter, saying, “One ‘side’ of Brussels praises the Georgian government for complying with sanctions, while the ‘other side’ funds disinformation – this shows bipolar disorder in Brussels.” Government-affiliated expert Ghia Abashidze also shared the same letter, writing that the “Sanctions Envoy” thanked the Georgian authorities for enforcing European sanctions and that there was an “obvious dissonance within Euro-bureaucracy.” Facebook users also shared social media cards about the “letter of appreciation.” (1;2).
Government representatives, pro-government experts, and Facebook accounts have been selectively highlighting only the part of the letter where David O’Sullivan thanks the Georgian government for its cooperation. The document they refer to as a “letter of appreciation” also calls on the Georgian government to ban the re-export of all EU-produced goods that help Russia prolong the war.
- What does the letter actually say?
The letter, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided to Myth Detector, was written on October 9. In it, O’Sullivan thanks the Georgian government for the steps taken to limit Russia’s ability to circumvent sanctions. The letter reiterates the importance of EU sanctions against Russia and warns about the dangers of re-exporting dual-use goods. O’Sullivan expresses gratitude to the ministers for Georgia’s efforts to stop the re-export of such cargoes to Russia.
It is noteworthy that Maka Bochorishvili and other Georgian Dream members focused only on this section. However, the EU Sanctions Envoy also urges the government to ban the re-export of all EU-produced goods that are identified by Harmonized System (HS) codes as economically critical items for Russia and that help it prolong the war in Ukraine. O’Sullivan explains that, while Georgia is not a major re-exporter of such cargo, there are still risks that the country could become an alternative route for illegal trade in these goods.
Below is the full version of the letter, which discusses the EU’s sanctions imposed on Russia, expresses appreciation for the steps taken by the Georgian government in implementing sanctions policy, and calls on Georgia to completely ban the re-export of EU-produced dual-use goods.
“Dear Ministers,
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.
I have previously shared with you a list of Common High Priority items (50 Harmonised System (HS) Codes) that the European Commission has prepared in close coordination with its partners. This list contains dual-use goods and advanced technology items under export restrictions that were retrieved in Russian military systems either found on the battlefield in Ukraine or critical to the development, production or use of those Russian military systems. I thank you for your efforts to stop the re-export of these items.
In addition, the European Commission has identified a list of Economically Critical Goods (ECG) that Russia is desperately seeking to procure to support its war effort. These are sanctioned items that could support Russia’s industrial base. Even if most of these goods are not traditional dual-use items, the re-export of these products supports key sectors of the Russian economy. For example, appliances for pipes or specialised steel structures are needed for the Russian mineral resources industry. This sector is one of the main sectoral ‘contributors’ to Russia’s budget. Therefore, I respectfully request that you ban all the re-export of EU-origin items under the HS codes identified in the ECG list to Russia. While Georgia is not a major re-exporter of these goods, countries in the region have already found a way to address this issue, and there is a risk that Georgia becomes an alternative illicit trading route for these items.
We hope that this information will be useful for your relevant authorities to continue taking appropriate action so that sanctioned goods are not re-exported to Russia where they are diverted to support its war economy.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter, and I look forward to receiving your response.”
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