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 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |