Russia's state arms trader denies links to Syria "illegal" cargo

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia's state arms trader said on Friday, Oct 12, that it had no connection to the "illegal" military items removed from a Moscow-Damascus passenger airliner forced to land in Turkey, RIA Novosti reported.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets forced down the Syrian Air Airbus A320 some three hours after it had taken off from Moscow's Vnukovo international airport late on Wednesday. Turkey eventually permitted the A320 to resume its flight after a five-hour inspection of the aircraft that resulted in the seizure of a number of items.

"We have no information available about the contents or ownership of any cargo," Vyacheslav Davidenko, a spokesperson for state arms trader Rosoboronexport, told RIA Novosti. "All cargo transport operations by us involving military equipment are always made in accordance with international agreements and Russian law."

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has refused to comment on media reports that it is investigating a possible leak from a Russian agency, which led to the discovery of the Damascus-bound cargo.

Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Friday the seized items were technical components for Syrian air defense radars which did not require special certification as military items.