The Ministry of Finance denies reports that sanctioned Russian oil is brought to Georgia by rail.

As mentioned in the statement issued by the agency, Georgia firmly adheres to the procedures for the enforcement of international sanctions, and there is no evidence confirming the said accusation.

"The Ministry of Finance of Georgia is echoing the story prepared by Formula TV on March 25 and explains the following:

The opinion expressed by the journalist in the story - in particular, the quote: "Documents are presented that prove that sanctioned Russian oil is brought to Georgia by rail" - is a complete lie and misinformation.

We state publicly, categorically, that Georgia firmly adheres to the procedures for the enforcement of international sanctions, and there are no facts or evidence to support the above-mentioned accusation.

From the very first days of the imposition of international sanctions, a working group with relevant powers has been created in the Customs Department of the Revenue Service, which, within the scope of competence, carries out strict control and preventive activities for the enforcement of the said sanctions in the territory of Georgia. In the mentioned period, new unified risk profiles were created, on the basis of which the movement of prohibited goods to the customs territory of Georgia from/to sanctioned individuals and companies, as well as transit, export and re-export procedures, are identified and controlled.

In June 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted the sixth package of sanctions, which, among other restrictions, prohibits the purchase, import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU. The restrictions have been in effect from December 5, 2022 for crude oil and from February 5, 2023 for other refined petroleum products. Along with the implementation of the mentioned ban, with the ninth package of sanctions, the European Union - together with the international coalition of the G7 countries, approved the maximum prices for Russian crude oil and oil products transported by sea. The purpose of the ban is to maintain the uninterrupted supply of Russian crude oil and petroleum products by sea to the global market, as well as to prevent the increase in prices for energy carriers and the sharp reduction of revenues received by the Russian Federation from the sale of petroleum products.

Taking into account the above, the ban applies to the transportation of Russian oil products by sea to third countries, if the said products are purchased at or above the oil price limit. We emphasize that the ban does not apply if Russian crude oil or petroleum products are transported by non-sea route (by rail) or purchased below the threshold price for petroleum products.

In order to provide objective information to the public, we explain that international sanctions do not apply to the company mentioned in the story, cargo or its owners (information is available through open sources). Based on the above, after the completion of the customs control procedures, the cargo was placed in the import procedure in accordance with the legislation.

Once again, the agency urges everyone to refrain from spreading unverified and false information. Any information related to the enforcement of sanctions should be checked with the relevant agency responsible for the enforcement of sanctions - the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, which, unfortunately, was not done by the above-mentioned media outlet," reads the statement.

source: IPN