Charge d'Affaires of Ukraine Summoned to MFA Over Claims of Ukrainian Intelligence Service
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
The Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister, Teimuraz Janjalia, has met with the Charge d’Affaires of Ukraine, Andriy Kasyanov, who had been summoned to the Ministry over the information released by the Intelligence Service of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry.
The meeting was held in response to a statement issued on Sunday by the intelligence service of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, which said Georgia, along with Armenia and Azerbaijan, was in talks with Moscow to re-export Russian products to international markets. According to the statement, “more than 200 companies have already been established in these countries” for the purpose.
According to the agency, at the meeting, the Deputy Minister, Teimuraz Janjalia, expressed the Georgian side’s dissatisfaction with similar allegations, highlighting that “such unverified information damages partner relations between the two countries.”
The Charge d'Affaires was asked to timely provide factual evidence of the information issued by the Intelligence Service of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry. The Georgian foreign office said the request had been made ‘especially considering’ Ukrainian authorities had also failed to present evidence of a similar "previous allegation". For the record, Kyiv has previously accused the Georgian Government of creating smuggling channels for sanctioned products using Georgian territory in April, to which the Georgian authorities responded by urging Ukraine’s military intelligence to provide evidence for the claims.
The Ukrainian diplomat said he was unable to clarify the Ukrainian Intelligence Service’s claims at the given stage and noted a relevant message would be conveyed to Kyiv.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister also reiterated Ministry’s ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, while Kasyanov expressed his gratitude to Georgia for its resolutions and statements in support of Ukraine since the Russian invasion of the country, as well as for humanitarian assistance provided by Georgia to Ukraine.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili said yesterday that the prospect of sanctioned Russian products entering the European Union through Georgia is “inconceivable,” noting that “not only Georgia but also the EU exercises appropriate control”.
He noted that Georgia exchanges and clarifies information with all partners and added that there were no questions from Georgia’s international partners regarding the implementation of sanctions against Russia.
