TBILISI, October 24 – The U.S. Treasury has clarified that transactions with sanctioned Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft, including their international subsidiaries, will only be permitted until November 21, 2025, under a temporary exemption covering fuel purchases and essential services, BPN reports. The clarification follows Washington’s decision earlier this week to sanction Russia’s two … Read more
TBILISI, October 23 – Georgia’s banks will play by the rules after Washington slapped sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, and 34 of their subsidiaries. Natia Turnava, president of Georgia’s National Bank, said on Thursday that the country’s lenders “fully observe international sanctions” and that in this case “we will act … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Conflicting reports have emerged after Reuters claimed that a tanker carrying Russian crude arrived in Georgia’s Black Sea port of Kulevi for processing, potentially putting the country in a politically sensitive position amid Western sanctions on Moscow. According to Reuters, the tanker Kaiseri delivered more than 105,000 metric tons of “Siberian … Read more
TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia’s diplomatic rift with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) widened on Thursday after the government fined Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister and current OSCE chair, for joining an anti-government protest during her recent visit to Tbilisi. The Interior Ministry confirmed to Interpressnews that Valtonen was fined 5,000 … Read more
TBILISI, October 3 – Georgia has been ranked ahead of several of the world’s most influential economies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, in a new global index measuring commitment to democratic transformation. The ranking, published within the Coherence Report produced by the Spain-based research network Common Future, is … Read more
TBILISI, October 3 – Georgian businessman and public figure Levan Vasadze has released an open letter, dated 20 September, claiming that British sanctions announced on 19 September led Georgian banks to restrict services not only to himself, but also to members of his family – and a wine company owned by his spouse, BPN reports. … Read more
TBILISI, September 27 – Georgian president Mikheil Kavelashvili attended a formal dinner in New York hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The event was held in honor of the heads of delegations participating in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Kavelashvili shared a photo with the U.S. … Read more
TBILISI, September 25 – Moldova has secured the extradition from Greece of fugitive businessman Vladimir Plahotniuc, in order to face justice in one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals. Local outlet Newsmaker reported that Plahotniuc was flown under guard on a direct flight from Athens to Chișinău on Wednesday. Moldova’s Justice Ministry confirmed he will … Read more
TBILISI, September 25 – Georgia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned the United Kingdom’s ambassador in Tbilisi, Gareth Ward, following a similar action against Germany’s envoy just a day earlier. Ward arrived at the ministry but did not make any comments to reporters before entering the building, according to local media. The summons comes less than … Read more
TBILISI, September 25 – Tensions between Georgia and one of its strongest European partners escalated on Wednesday after Germany’s ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tbilisi, a move Berlin condemned as “baseless” and “aggressive.” Ambassador Peter Fischer told reporters before entering the building that it was the first time in modern … Read more