EU representative in Bishkek discusses russia's circumvention of sanctions via Kyrgyzstan

This was reported by the local Radio Liberty service.

O'Sullivan met with officials from the country's central bank and other government agencies in the economic sphere, informing them of his mission to identify and eliminate possible ways of circumventing sanctions before Brussels finally approves new measures.

At a press conference, the EU representative said that about 80 items, mainly dual-use goods, are under close scrutiny for possible re-export to russia through Kyrgyzstan.

About 50 of these goods are used in russian military equipment, while the rest are critical for industrial production. He stressed that this is only a narrow category that ‘is not of economic interest to Kyrgyzstan.’

According to O'Sullivan, the EU's main task is not to ask Kyrgyzstan to adopt the bloc's sanctions, but to ensure that the country is not used as a platform to circumvent sanctions.

‘We are not asking Kyrgyzstan to impose our sanctions... we understand that there are countries that, for various reasons, choose a different path,’ he said in an interview with Radio Liberty's Kyrgyz service.

Instead, the official added, some goods are now being imported into Kyrgyzstan from the EU and then re-exported to russia, which he called ‘unacceptable.’

The envoy also drew attention to risks in the financial sector, citing the infiltration of Kyrgyz banks and cryptocurrency platforms by entities seeking to circumvent sanctions. He said this was the reason for including several banks and institutions associated with cryptocurrency in the previous sanctions package.

‘If we have evidence that companies in any country, including Kyrgyzstan, are facilitating the circumvention of our sanctions, we reserve the right to take action against those companies,’ he said, clarifying that such measures are directed at companies, not countries.

O'Sullivan stressed that the EU respects Kyrgyzstan's sovereignty and legitimate trade with russia, noting the importance of remittances from migrant workers for local families:

"We have no intention whatsoever of interfering in your entirely legitimate trade and economic relations with russia, none whatsoever. We respect the closeness of your relations with russia; we know that you have many migrant workers in russia whose remittances back to Kyrgyzstan are important for the livelihoods of many families."

The EU is continuing to discuss the 20th package of sanctions against russia. In particular, it prohibits the export of certain high-risk goods, such as numerically controlled machine tools and radio equipment, to Kyrgyzstan due to concerns that goods exported from the EU are being re-exported to russia, helping to circumvent existing sanctions.

According to the preliminary version of the document, exports of these goods to Kyrgyzstan increased by almost 800 per cent in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to levels before russia's invasion in February 2022, while exports of the same goods from Kyrgyzstan to russia increased by approximately 1,200 per cent.

Source: Radio Liberty