From the very first day we learned about the issue of Kulevi’s inclusion in the draft sanctions package, we requested that they present the basis for this step, and of course, no such basis could be presented. Instead, we once again showed the European Commission side what steps Georgia is taking to ensure that the country’s territory is not used to circumvent sanctions imposed on Russia, — this was stated by Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili to journalists.

According to Bochorishvili, the Georgian side did not take on any additional obligations in exchange for the removal of the Kulevi port from the sanctions package.

“It was truly very important to receive the letter from the European Commission regarding the removal of Kulevi from the sanctions package. We will, of course, continue working on this issue with the European Commission. First, there is no evidence whatsoever that would justify its inclusion in the EU sanctions package, and in the absence of any evidence and its inability to be presented, naturally, it could not be included in the sanctions package.

In this regard, I had intensive communication with the European Commission. From the very first day we learned about the issue of Kulevi’s presence in this draft, we requested that they present what the basis was for this step, and of course, no such basis could be presented. Instead, we once again showed the European Commission side what steps Georgia is taking, what Georgia is doing to ensure that the country’s territory is not used to circumvent sanctions imposed on Russia. In this regard, Georgia is truly at the forefront; there is not a single fact that would prove the opposite, and this is in fact the real basis for the European Commission withdrawing its proposal regarding the inclusion of the Kulevi oil terminal in the sanctions package, and this is confirmed by Sullivan’s letter as well.

There are no additional obligations; they welcome what has existed for such a long time, what Georgia has been fulfilling and continues to fulfill in good faith, and the only thing that was the content of the communication with the European Commission was that we were interested in what the grounds were. No such grounds could be presented; the European Commission has no basis whatsoever,” — stated Maka Bochorishvili.