Finland investigating Syria arms smuggling attemptFebruary 15, 2013 - 20:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Finnish customs officials are investigating an attempt to smuggle arms to Syria through a Helsinki port in breach of an EU ban, after intercepting a container with spare parts for tanks last month, Reuters said. Customs confiscated the parts, found in a container on Finnlines' Finnsun, when the vessel docked at Vuosaari port. The container appeared have been sent from Russia to Syria, customs said in a statement, adding that there had been no requests for permission of such a delivery. Finnlines confirmed the cargo in question was loaded in St. Petersburg on December 20 and said it had raised the alarm after finding the equipment in a regular onboard audit at the port of Antwerp, Belgium. The company decided to deliver the container to customs officials in Finland, its previous stop. "Finnlines immediately requested the Finnish customs to restrain the cargo," it said in a statement. Russia is one of Syria's main arms supplier and has long been an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, sending him nearly $1 billion of weapons in 2011. The European Union prohibits the delivery of arms from its countries to Syria, where almost 70,000 people have been killed in two years of civil war, according to the United Nations. The captain of the ship and Finnlines staff have been questioned, the customs office said, adding that it was also asking for help from other countries. Vyacheslav Davidenko, spokesman for Rosoboronexport, Russia's state arms exporter, said he had no information about the delivery of any tank spare parts from his company to Syria, adding that they may have been confused with other arms parts. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |