Georgia plays its role in defending an unprecedented package of sanctions. British Ambassador to Georgia Mark Clayton made such a statement in the interview with InterPressNews.

“What the UK, along with G7, European Union, NATO allies, and other partners, is trying to do is to impose the maximum cost on Russia and deprive [Vladimir] Putin’s military of the sources of funds that they need to prosecute this illegal war. Since the start of the conflict, the UK has frozen over £900 million of assets from Russian banks.

We’ve worked with others to cut them out of the international banking system SWIFT. We"ve frozen over 260,000,000 billion of foreign currency reserves from Russia. So alongside that, we"ve sanctioned over 1600 individuals and limited trade in particular sectors with Russia, all of which are designed to impose a cost for that unprovoked invasion and to deprive funds of Putin"s war machine.

Georgia is playing its part in this package, so I’ve seen press reports and speculation about it, but I would also refer to the Finance Minister’s statement yesterday. From what I have seen, Georgia’s Central Bank is doing everything it can to ensure that Georgia cannot be used as a place where financial sanctions can be avoided. We"ve seen really rapid action taken.

For example, on VTB Bank, in space of a couple of days, it was closed down in line with the sanctions. Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank are listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are doing everything they can to ensure that the financial sanctions are in place. And finally, I know that when it comes to limits on trade in goods and sanctioned goods, I know that the Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Economy and your custom service are working to ensure that there is no leakage and that’s what the Minister of Finance said yesterday”, - said the Ambassador.