«The focus is on making sure that no country in the world circumvents the legislation, does not look for workarounds to evade the sanctions,» David McAllister, head of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, representative of Christian Democrats party and Chairman of the European Parliament’s mission to Kyrgyzstan, said at a briefing.
According to him, the geopolitical situation around the world is difficult now. And there are many difficulties to overcome for Central Asia. Therefore, it is important for the countries of the region to strengthen cooperation and good-neighborliness. All efforts should be directed to this.
«In the context of sanctions against Russia, it is important to pay attention so that countries do not circumvent them. We have been discussing this issue with state bodies of Kyrgyzstan, given the visit of the EU Special Representative for Sanctions David O’Sullivan to Astana and Bishkek. International sanctions are aimed at aggressor countries, but by no means against Kyrgyzstan. We are aware of the position of the Kyrgyz Republic, the republic’s position and membership in the EAEU and CSTO. Kazakhstan is in the same situation. But we are discussing all attempts to evade the sanctions. This concerns the issues of export-import of goods from the EU that go through Kyrgyzstan and end up in Russia,» David McAllister said.
«We discussed this topic at a meeting with the president. Our response will be comparable to the infringements that are being made. It will affect the structural relationship with Central Asia. Sanctions circumvention is such a serious issue that we raise all the time. And everyone is well aware of how important it is. Sanctions will only fully work if there are no workarounds. Obviously, there are workarounds. And they take place through Central Asia. That is why we and our partners: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are keeping our finger on the pulse and paying close attention to prevention of the sanctions evasion. As for the new sanctions package, it is too early to draw conclusions on it. Discussions are taking place among the 27 EU countries. I cannot yet say how this package will affect Kyrgyzstan,» he concluded.
