by Giuseppe Gagliano –
The British government, through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) which includes the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6), and the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), is committed to intensifying collaboration with intelligence services financial institution of the Caucasus and Central Asia. The goal is to strengthen monitoring and enforcement capabilities for sanctions imposed on Russia, preventing possible circumvention through these regions. A British delegation will visit Georgia, Armenia and Uzbekistan for discussions with local intelligence chiefs, followed by an earlier trip to Kyrgyzstan, where meetings were held with various ministries, including Finance. The missions include training sessions focused on advanced financial intelligence techniques, such as asset monitoring and KYC (Know Your Customer) investigations, have already been launched in Kazakhstan under the guidance of the country’s Financial Monitoring Agency.
The sessions aim to strengthen existing structures such as the Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia, the Central Bank of Armenia, and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes of Uzbekistan.
These initiatives were promoted following the recommendations of the British Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), which highlighted the importance of preventing the circumvention of Russian sanctions through Central Asia and the City of London. Although the latest update from the UK government on January 25 did not provide concrete details on the matter, the program continues to develop, marking an important step in international cooperation against breaches of financial sanctions.
