The EU Council has extended the restrictive measures on the so-called “Magnitsky list” for another 24 months, that is, until December 8, 2026.
Among these countries that have joined the sanctions against individuals and legal entities from the Russian Federation who are subject to restrictive measures are the following:
- Ukraine,
- North Macedonia,
- Montenegro,
- Albania,
- Moldova,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Iceland,
- Liechtenstein,
- Norway.
“They will ensure that their national policies are consistent with this Council Decision. The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it,” the release states.
Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan are mentioned in the document.
What preceded
Earlier today, on December 18, the Council of the European Union announced that Yerevan and Baku had joined the EU sanctions against Russia for violating human rights. The list of states that supported joining the restrictions also included Ukraine and Moldova.
As follows from a message published on the website of the European Council earlier on Monday afternoon, for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Armenia supported EU sanctions against citizens and legal entities of the aggressor country.
Note that Armenia has already joined to the framework decision on the establishment of the Global Sanctions Regime for Human Rights Violations of December 22, 2020.
What is it about
Sanctions lists include individuals and entities involved in various human rights violations around the world, including Russians. With the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression, those involved in crimes on Ukrainian territory, for example, from the Wagner PMC, were included there.
Among the well-known officials of the Russian Federation, the list includes, in particular, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin and the head of the Russian Guard Viktor Zolotov.
The EU’s extension of part of the sanctions against Russia for human rights violations will remain in effect until almost the end of 2026.
Features of the current list
At the same time, since 2020, Armenia has not joined the expansion of sanctions within the framework of this regime, until the last decision of the European Council on December 4 of this year.
In addition, according to previously published press releases of the European Council, Azerbaijan was supposed to join this sanctions regime for the first time.
Armenia’s position on sanctions against the Russian Federation
It should be noted that Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that his country is forced to comply with anti-Russian sanctions in the field of trade, financial services, etc., so as not to fall under secondary sanctions of the West. At the same time, Western media call Armenia one of the key routes to circumvent anti-Russian sanctions.
An indirect confirmation of this is the multiple increase in Armenian exports to the Russian Federation since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The Armenian government acknowledged that re-export plays a significant role in this, but denied the supply of sanctioned goods to Russia.
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2023-12-18 21:13:17
