The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is set to advance several renewable energy initiatives in the liberated territories of Garabagh and Eastern Zangezur
Day: September 18, 2024
On September 18, U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan said the Georgian government is “isolating Georgia,” citing, in particular, the statement made by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze during their bilateral meeting a day earlier, in which Kobakhidze warned the Ambassador that the U.S. had reached “critical limits” by imposing new sanctions on Georgians officials and individuals and that another such decision would cause Georgia to “reconsider” its position on Georgian-American relations.
“Actions by the Georgian government, recent anti-democratic actions, disinformation about the United States and the West, and statements like the statement that the Prime Minister made yesterday – none of that helps Georgia or the Georgian people. Taking actions and making statements that further isolate Georgia from the West, from Europe, and from the United States, is not in the interest of the Georgian people,” stated the U.S. Ambassador.
Ambassador Dunnigan emphasized that Georgian people “overwhelmingly” see their future with Europe and the West. She added: “…actions and statements that isolate Georgia don’t help that goal. I want to reiterate once again that there is no stronger supporter in the world than the United States for the Georgian people and for the Georgian people’s Euro-Atlantic integration. We will continue to support the Georgian people and continue to help make Georgia a stronger, more economically prosperous country that will be a member of the EU. And statements that try to isolate Georgia from the United States aren’t helpful for anybody.”
The meeting between PM Kobakhidze and Amb. Dunnigan
The comment by the US ambassador was preceded by the meeting between the U.S. Ambassador and the Georgian Prime Minister held on September 17, after the U.S. State Department imposed financial sanctions and visa restrictions on 64 Georgians who undermine democracy in the country. According to the Government Administration’s press release, PM Kobakhidze expressed his “concern” over the sanctions during the meeting.
PM Kobakhidze told the Ambassador that “the American side drew closer to critical limits, and that, should another decision of this kind be made, may call for essentially reconsidering Georgia’s position on Georgian-American relations.” The PM accused the U.S. State Department of trying to improve the opposition’s chances in the upcoming elections with this decision, noting that it is “counterproductive, because in reality it will not have any impact on the opposition’s election outcomes, nor will it intimidate the ruling team.”
According to the press release, the Prime Minister also stated that U.S. decision will “further cement the public’s motivation to take a strong stance and stand guard over Georgia’s independence and sovereignty on October 26.”
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— Notes from Georgia/South Caucasus (Hälbig, Ralph) (@SouthCaucasus) September 18, 2024
On September 18, the National Bank of Georgia issued a statement on the U.S. sanctions imposed on Georgians for undermining democracy, saying that the sanctions will not be implemented by the Georgian financial sector until the Georgian court rules “the legally binding verdict.”
The NBG refers to last year’s order of the Vice-President of the NBG entitled “On Approval of the Procedure for Implementation of Sanctions Regimes by Accountable Persons under the Supervision of the National Bank of Georgia”, which states that “the sanctions regime shall apply to the citizen of Georgia in the event that a legally binding verdict of guilt has been issued by the court of Georgia regarding the basis of the imposed sanctions”.
The NBG order was issued last year in the wake of the sanctioning by the US of former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze for channeling malign Russian influence. The NBG order effectively shielded Partskhaladze through the decision. The NBG thus claims that the sanctions will be imposed by the Georgian financial sector “if a legally binding guilty verdict is issued by the Georgian court” [whose four judges, members of a so-called “judicial clan” are also notably sanctioned by the U.S.]
The NBG says it “systematically monitors the implementation of international sanctions, as well as the implementation of its own regulations and national legislation by individual participants of the financial sector.” It also emphasizes that “the Georgian financial sector operates in full compliance with the requirements of the sanctions regime”, and claims that “Georgia has never been and will never be a place of sanctions evasion.”
Former NBG President Roman Gotsiridze held a briefing in which he criticized the NBG statement and stressed that the statement is very confusing for the banks in Georgia because it simultaneously says that the Georgian financial sector should fully implement the sanctions, which would mean that the bank accounts of the sanctioned persons should be frozen immediately, and at the same time it says that the sanctions won’t be applied until the Georgian court’s decision. Gotsiridze called on the NBG to clarify to banks what they should do.
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