President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, together with Azerbaijan and three Central Asian states, is initiating through Slovakia a request to exclude Russian oligarch of Uzbek origin Alisher Usmanov from the European Union's sanctions list. An update of this list is expected in mid-March, reports Azattyk Asia.
In recent weeks, Slovakia, with the support of Hungary, has actively lobbied for the lifting of sanctions on Usmanov and Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman. Currently, EU restrictions apply to more than 2,700 individuals and legal entities that Brussels considers responsible for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity, including a visa ban and asset freezes.
The sanctions list is updated every six months in March and November, with the approval of the 27 EU member states.
In anticipation of a new round of sanctions, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent letters to other EU capitals, signed by Erdoğan and dated March 2.
The document, which was reviewed by the media corporation Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, states that Turkey does not intend to circumvent the EU and US sanctions imposed against Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Nevertheless, Erdoğan adds that "citizens of third countries affected by these sanctions may face certain difficulties in relations with our country," citing the sanctions against Alisher Usmanov and his family as an example.
The letter also claims that "Alisher Usmanov has been conducting his business transparently since the 1990s and does not use measures related to the economic policy pursued by the Russian government since the early 2000s, nor has he financed any initiatives in this area."
Erdoğan notes that "having left active business about ten years ago and focusing on charity, he has supported cultural, humanitarian, and sports projects that contribute to bringing Central Asia closer to the West, as well as making a significant contribution to the development of humanitarian ties in the Turkic world."
"PARTICULARLY CLOSE TIES" WITH PUTIN
The President of Turkey also mentions a letter he sent five years ago along with the heads of the Organization of Turkic States (which includes Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan) to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the then President of the European Council Charles Michel.
Erdoğan concludes his address to Fico by emphasizing: "Given Mr. Usmanov's sincere efforts to cooperate with EU institutions and humanitarian considerations, your support for his exclusion from the sanctions list would be extremely valuable."
When sanctions were imposed on Usmanov in 2022, the EU stated in its official document that the oligarch maintains "particularly close ties" with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is considered one of the few trusted with managing financial flows.
The document also notes that Usmanov is "closely linked" to Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former President, who used luxurious residences controlled by Usmanov for his own interests.
Additionally, one of the reasons for Usmanov's inclusion in the sanctions list was his ownership of the Russian newspaper "Kommersant." Brussels points out that after the oligarch took over this media outlet, "the editorial team's freedom was restricted, and the newspaper took a clearly pro-Kremlin position."
According to information published on March 10, in the ranking of the world's richest people by the American magazine Forbes, Usmanov ranks 199th with a fortune of $14.5 billion.
LEGAL MECHANISMS
Usmanov attempted to challenge his sanctions through legal mechanisms, appealing to the EU court, which denied his claims in September of last year.
Analysts note that the question now is who will win: Hungary and Slovakia or the other 25 EU countries.
EU ambassadors will gather in Brussels on March 13 to try to reach a consensus before the sanctions expire on March 15.
Some representatives of European countries expressed reluctance to exclude oligarchs from the list in comments to RFE/RL, noting that Erdoğan's letter was received negatively: "Should countries that do not impose sanctions (against Russia) and help circumvent them tell us whom to exclude?"
Currently, the EU presidency held by Cyprus, with the support of the other 25 member states, insists that there should be no political exceptions, as in the case of Usmanov and Fridman, and that sanctions should be extended for 12 months. Ultimately, it was proposed to extend them for six months.
Slovakia rejected both proposals and received support from Hungary, which claims that the exclusion of Usmanov and Fridman is "critically important."
Given the tight deadlines, Cyprus may follow Poland's example, which in March 2025, during its presidency, achieved the exclusion of oligarch Vyacheslav Moshe Kantor, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, and Usmanov's sister Gulbahor Ismailova from the sanctions list when Hungary threatened to veto the extension of sanctions.
The current situation is complicated by the dissatisfaction of Hungary and Slovakia that Russian oil is not flowing through the Druzhba pipeline. Both countries claim that Ukraine refuses to restore the Soviet-era pipeline that runs through its territory and supplies raw materials to the EU.
As a result, Bratislava and Budapest blocked the EU's €90 billion ($105 billion) loan package for Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia proposed by the European Commission in January.
Although EU officials assured that the issue of "Druzhba" was not discussed in the context of extending sanctions, they noted that Hungary made it clear that it would not support "any measures in the interest of Ukraine until the issue with 'Druzhba' is resolved."
Hungary has also requested the EU to lift other sanctions against Russia in the energy sector, citing rising global energy prices due to the conflict with Iran. However, the sectoral sanctions are set to expire only in July.
The post How Turkey and Central Asian countries are lobbying for the lifting of sanctions on oligarch Usmanov first appeared on K-News.
