The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on 2 December that it summoned the Czech Ambassador to Georgia, Petr Mikyska, to provide an explanation in reference to his recent comments as disseminated in the media over the past couple of days.
According to information disseminated in the media on 1 December, Ambassador Mikyska had stated that “Exports from the Czech Republic to Georgia have almost doubled. And part of this export, I am sure, goes to Russia […] This will have its effects, and the Czech Republic, which is the [country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU], is watching these developments, this will be one of the criteria when we evaluate Georgia’s readiness for the candidate status and not just the 12 recommendations.”
According to the Ministry, the Ambassador met with the Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Khvtisiashvili, who asked him to explain what his statement was based on, which “does not correspond to reality and harms both the cooperation of the two countries and Georgia’s reputation.”
The Deputy FM also informed the Ambassador about the steps that Georgia is taking on restricting the evasion of sanctions and such occurrences.
According to the Ministry, the Czech Ambassador explained that “unfortunately, his words were misinterpreted and spread out of context.”
“The Ambassador also confirmed that there are no questions regarding Georgia in connection with sanctions,” the MFA stated.
Revenue Service Responds
The Revenue Service of Georgia also responded to the media reports, emphasizing that the information “does not correspond to the truth” and is “false.”
According to the Service, Georgia “strictly takes into account” the international sanctions imposed on the trade of certain goods to Russia and Belarus. The Service noted that all such products undergo “special customs control.”
The Revenue Service urged everyone to refrain from spreading unverified and false information and to verify all future facts regarding the enforcement of sanctions with the relevant agency.
Czech Embassy’s Statement
The Czech Embassy released a statement addressing the meeting with the Deputy FM on 2 December, which noted that during the meeting, the Ambassador “detailed that his comments, disseminated out of context, were not linked to the sanctions against Russia but general trade, knowing and valuing the principled position of Georgian authorities on the sanctions issue.”
“Both sides discussed further exchange of information on this and other sensitive issues,” the Embassy noted.
“We assume that the doubts of Georgian authorities have been dispelled and the subject does not deserve further discussion,” the statement underscored.
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