The British Ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, was invited to a meeting with the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Giorgi Zurabashvili, the Foreign Ministry reports.

According to the Ministry, the meeting focused on Georgia's compliance with international sanctions regimes and the work of the Georgian government and relevant state agencies in this direction.

“It was noted that in the conditions when there is no evidence of violation of international sanctions by Georgia and the Georgian government cooperates smoothly with international partners, the constant speculations regarding the issue are incomprehensible.

In this context, the emphasis on Georgia in the statement issued by the Embassy on the issue of the sanctioning of the SILVAR (IMO 9291262) vessel by the United Kingdom is worrying, which deliberately serves to reinforce misconceptions and damage the interests of Georgia.

The First Deputy Minister noted that the mention of Georgia in the statement issued by the Embassy is unacceptable when at the time of the ship’s entry and operation in Georgia, there were no international sanctions against it, it had a valid Lloyd’s Register (United Kingdom) class, operated on numerous international maritime trade routes and visited both European, Asian and African ports, including Malta, Denmark (Skagen), Egypt, Malaysia, India, China and others. In addition, all competent authorities of Georgia acted in full compliance with applicable national and international obligations.

The British side is also well aware that just a few weeks before entering Georgia, the vessel in question underwent a port state control inspection in the Kingdom of Denmark, during which the vessel was not detained, which confirms its compliance with international maritime safety and technical supervision requirements.

Giorgi Zurabashvili, speaking with the British Ambassador, noted that the spirit of the embassy’s statement was unacceptable and that such manipulative actions cast a shadow on relations between Georgia and the United Kingdom. At the end of the meeting, the importance of constructive cooperation was emphasized,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry says in a statement.

It should be noted that the British Ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, was summoned to a meeting with the Georgian Foreign Minister on February 26, 2026 too, regarding the inclusion of Georgian TV companies - "Imedi" and "POSTV" - in the package of sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom authorities against Russia.