Usually, Russia’s military activity is associated with the time when Christmas is celebrated in the Western Hemisphere – then the readiness is at the lowest level and therefore to test how the West can react to what the West will do in these circumstances, so one possibility is that the Russian invasion It could take place in Ukraine around Christmas and New Year, Mārtiņš Vargulis, a lecturer at the Faculty of European Studies at Riga Stradiņš University, admitted to the program “Nothing Personal”.
Belarus’s self-proclaimed leader Alexander Lukashenko said this week that he wanted to get nuclear weapons from Russia. Because, in his opinion, the West is going to attack Belarus. Completely different talks took place this week in Riga, where NATO foreign ministers met. In Latvia, we consider Belarus to be an aggressor who, together with Russia, is currently threatening war in Ukraine. However, according to a “Nothing Personal” study, Latvia continues to trade actively with Belarus, where most factories are state-owned and earn money to buy weapons to strengthen Lukashenko’s regime. This year, goods and raw materials worth half a billion euros have been imported to Latvia from Belarus.
At the very beginning of 2020, the Prime Minister of Latvia Krišjānis Kariņš received a rather shrewd metal bison from the hands of President Alexander Lukashenko at that time. They both talked about hockey, cargo and when Lukashenko would come to Riga. A lot has changed in these two years.
Before Lukashenko stole the presidential election, Europe and the United States hoped that the regime in the country would abandon close integration with Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in May last year that America had made the first delivery of crude oil to Belarus. To strengthen independence from Russia. However, August introduced its own adjustments.
Belnaftahim, or the “Belarusian Petroleum and Chemical Group”, is the largest state-owned company in Belarus. It brings together oil extraction, transportation, refining and trading companies. Belnaftahim also includes the Druzhba oil pipeline, the Mozir and Novopolotsk refineries. In total, about 60 large companies.
On June 24, when Latvia celebrated Midsummer this year, Europe adopted sanctions against Belarus. Among the several banned products and substances are petroleum products produced and exported from Belarus.
“Nothing personal” first turned to the State Revenue Service in September and now in December to find out how Latvia is doing with the sanctions.
Council of Europe Regulation (ES) 2021/1030
(a) to import into the Union petroleum products listed in Annex VII if they:
(i) are petroleum products originating in Belarus, or
(ii) have been exported from Belarus;
(b) to purchase petroleum products located in or originating in Belarus;
(c) to transport petroleum products if they originate in Belarus or are exported from Belarus to another country;
Certain petroleum products are assigned codes that allow them to be easily traced for transportation.
In September, the State Revenue Service (SRS) “Nothing Personal” revealed that in the period after the adoption of sanctions, 5,852 tons of oil products had been imported to Latvia from Belarus. At present, this number has increased and almost 8,000 tons have been imported to Latvia.
- June 25 – September 30
- 5852 tonnes
- June 25 – November 30
- 7809 tonnes
For comparison, the full freight train with tanks of Latvijas Dzelzceļš usually carries around 3,000 tons. This means that after the introduction of sanctions, at least three full trains with products on the sanctions list have been imported into Latvia. The SRS claims that as a result of Customs control measures no cases of violation of the established sanctions have been identified. The State Security Service does not tell about individual inspections, but does not tell about it in more detail.
State Security Service response “Nothing personal”
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“We can confirm that in the period after June 25, 2021, the SES has carried out inspections of possible violations of the sanctions imposed on Belarus. The basis for initiating the inspections was the information provided by financial institutions, customs and other entities, as well as information obtained in other ways. We can point out that so far the SSD has not initiated criminal proceedings for possible violations of the sanctions imposed on Belarus, at the same time some of the investigations are still ongoing. “
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“Nothing personal”: Do you think it is right that there have still been some deals with sanctioned companies since the sanctions were introduced in the middle of the summer? Contracts have been signed, but deals are continuing. Do you think that’s right?
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs (“New Unity”): Well, the question is whether it is right, moral and political. I think not. whether it is correct and from a legal point of view, it must be assessed.
Yes, the European Union’s sanctions are often the year of this transition. In others, the United States also introduces a transitional period for the introduction of sanctions. It is not a fairy tale – today we are publishing an order for sanctions to take effect, and then from tomorrow everything – trains with freight are stopped and sent back. Therefore, this kind of transitional period is also given if there are any contractual obligations that economic operators have to fulfill. Well, there is, of course, what to look for, which is understandable, but of course, if it is possible to avoid new business, even though that legal period allows it, it would be better to do so.
Mārtiņš Vargulis, lecturer at the Faculty of European Studies, Riga Stradins University
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“If we talk specifically about sanctions and their effectiveness, then we have to look at it in a long-term context. These five rounds of sanctions imposed by the European Union on Belarus so far have been more targeted at specific individuals, at specific companies, without going into the sector-wide sanctions that have been discussed, and have been voiced by diplomats. of options. Namely, if this action on the part of Lukashenko becomes even more unpredictable or threatening, then sectoral sanctions can also be implemented. But at the same time, it must be admitted that even these activities on the part of Lukashenko – rhetoric about nuclear weapons – lead to the conclusion that there has been a blow to the effectiveness of these people, who are at the table approached by Lukashenko. in the long run. But even in the short term, we are seeing some success. ”
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While Lukashenko is threatening with nuclear weapons, allowing Russian tanks from the country to threaten Ukraine’s security and using intruders to create chaos at our border with Poland and Lithuania, Latvia has continued to import significant amounts of Belarusian goods this year. According to the information compiled by the SRS, this year the most imported wood, its products and charcoal – in the amount of 264 million euros. Plastics – 31 million euros; mineral fuel, mineral oils – 23 million; iron and steel EUR 16 million; clothing eight million; salt, sulfur, earth, stone, plastering materials, lime – 7.8 million; furniture – 7.5 million euros; fertilizers, gypsum, cement and asbestos products in similar amounts; food waste and fodder. The total import from Belarus to Latvia in 11 months this year was 454 million euros.
Latvian imports from Belarus (Source: SRS)
- Wood, wood products, charcoal – 264,816,897 euros
- Plastic products – 31,115,499 euros
- Mineral fuel, mineral oils, bituminous substances, mineral waxes – 23,890,561 euros
- Iron and steel – 16 084 061 euros
- Clothing – 8 284 872 euros
- Salt, sulfur, earth, stone plastering materials, lime, cement – 7 804 164 euros
- Furniture – 7 550 989 euros
- Fertilizers – 7 363 343 euros
- Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos products – 6,994,447 euros
- Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared fodder – 6 966 889 euros
Total – 454 394 900 euros
“Neither for the first time nor for the last time is this story about what to do with neighboring countries, which have very difficult relations, so that I do not even have a hostile relationship. Considering the fact that most of the factories and everything else belong to the state, ”says Andris Sprūds, Director of the Latvian Foreign Policy Institute.
“Nothing personal”: And the state sells these products and then buys weapons…
Andris Sprūds, Director of the Latvian Foreign Policy Institute: “I definitely agree with that, but certainly we can, of course, ask this question about both relations with China and relations with Russia. This list could certainly be continued, because it is clear that if only democracies and only dictatorial or authoritarian states trade with each other, then perhaps its global economy is not promising anything, but sanctions are such a reciprocal sword. Because, on the one hand, of course, you show your signals and beat, because otherwise it doesn’t make sense if the sanctions don’t bite – you also beat and bite with sanctions to the other country to which you show that something is unacceptable, but undeniably that it bites you too, you have to take it into account. And it is undeniable that here, of course, there is a choice between these cups of weight, at which point then we present it for sanctions and she is not automatic and she is not white and black. Of course, there are attempts here, some things to continue. You can agree in principle. “
In an interview with “Nothing Personal”, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs (“New Unity”) confirmed that NATO foreign ministers had been very open and unprecedented in their talks behind closed doors, discussing what to do if Russia used to attack Ukraine. However, the Foreign Minister cannot reveal NATO’s planned strategy further, as it is all guarded by NATO’s secret vampire.
“Nothing personal”: “Behind the locked door in the talks, the main emphasis is on the fact that Russia’s main goal is Ukraine? Is what is happening in Ukraine and on its borders a cover for someone else, such as in the Arctic or elsewhere? Is that what ministers and NATO people who study satellites and everything else are thinking – that it’s just as simple as it all looks? ”
Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs (“New Unity”): “I would like to say that we are analyzing these issues in the broadest possible context.”
“Nothing personal”: “And what does that mean?”
Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs (“New Unity”): “I think we will leave it as it is now. I would not really like to reveal too much discussion at the moment, given that this is why discussions sometimes take place behind closed doors and also with a certain degree of classification to be discussed as broadly as possible. ”
