Georgia urges EU to reverse sanctions on Kulevi oil refinery

Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed regret over the European Union's decision to include the Kulevi oil refinery in its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, urging Brussels to reconsider the measure.

In a statement cited by Georgian media, the ministry said it had submitted documentation to the European Commission demonstrating that there were neither factual nor legal grounds for imposing sanctions on the facility, Caliber.Az reports.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia hopes that the relevant departments of the European Commission and the EU Member States will, during the six-month period specified by the decision, be guided by the principle of fairness and reconsider the decision," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the Georgian government expects the European Commission and EU member states to review the evidence during the six-month period provided under the sanctions decision.

The Kulevi refinery was included in the EU's latest sanctions package, formally adopted by the Council of the European Union as part of a broader effort to tighten restrictions on Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Brussels has said the refinery is linked to the processing of Russian crude oil. The latest package also targets 14 cryptocurrency platforms based in third countries, including Georgia, as part of measures aimed at preventing the circumvention of existing sanctions.

The Georgian government has rejected the basis for the restrictions on the Kulevi facility, maintaining that the refinery should not have been included in the sanctions regime.

By Aghakazim Guliyev