Uzbekistan asked the European Union to cancel sanctions against the Russian billionaire of Uzbekistan origin Alisher Usmanov and his sister Gulbakhor Ismailova. This was reported by Financial Times with reference to sources familiar with discussions.
The entrepreneur was one of the 26 Russians who were subject to EU sanctions in the first days after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February. The sanctions list noted that Alisher Usmanov allegedly supported officials of the Russian Federation responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine. His sister Gulbakhor Ismailova was also sanctions on the grounds that was the legal owner of some assets of Usmanov, such as his Dilbar yacht worth $ 600 million.
According to FT interlocutors, sanctions against an entrepreneur, including freezing assets and a ban on traveling, limited the possibilities of the billionaire to invest part of their condition in the economy of Uzbekistan. Tashkent is also ready to provide Alisher Usmanov legal assistance in possible trial against Brussels, if the EU refuses to relieve sanctions, the publication notes.
Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan did not respond to FT requests for comments. The representative of Usmanov told the newspaper that he could not comment on the actions of the Government of Uzbekistan, but admitted that the sanctions “really interfere with investment and charitable projects.”
Several European officials said Financial Times that the European Union seeks to establish closer ties with Uzbekistan and other countries of Central Asia, since the region is reviewing its relations with Russia amid a war in Ukraine. But any step on the abolition of sanctions against Usmanov and Ismailova, which will require unanimous approval of all 27 EU members, can potentially cause similar debates about dozens of other Russian oligarchs with dual citizenship, falling under sanctions.