A Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) report became a point of interest in Georgia on July 11 after opposition Droa politician Elene Khoshtaria highlighted the findings in a briefing. The June 28 report named Georgia as one of the countries through which restricted exports have passed through to Russia or Belarus.
BIS noted that commodities of particular concern are those which could further the military and defense capabilities of Russia and Belarus. These include aircraft parts and equipment, antennas, and GPS systems, among others.
“In some instances, controlled U.S. items may be legally exported to these and other jurisdictions as inputs for the production of other finished goods,” the report noted. “However, further export to Russia or Belarus of those finished products and goods, potentially through additional transshipment points, may be prohibited.”
It emphasized that BIS continues to monitor the situation in relation to historical transshipment patterns to identify any changes. It denoted that as a result while the list does not include all potential transshipment points, it can “assist in the risk-based screening of export-related financial transactions.”
The list includes 17 other countries such as Armenia and Turkey which have been used as transshipment points as Russia and Belarus try to evade Western sanctions instituted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development did not comment on the report.
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