Will EU block Belarus’ $1.5 billion arms contract?
- 19.01.2011, 13:03
Europe has remembered about the sanctions against Belarusian weapons exporters. The most realistic way of economic sanctions is embargo on Belarusian armaments export.
This refers to activities of Beltechexport and Belvneshpromservice companies. According to European experts, revenues from this trade could be transferred to personal accounts of Belarusian officials, “Nasha Niva” writes.
The last European client is Slovakia
In 2004 sanctions already were applied against Belvneshpromservice. Then the US accused 14 organisations worldwide of illegal arms sales to Iran and imposed a two-year ban on trade with these business entities. Sanctions were not imposed on the country, but precisely against the concrete company.
However, Belarusian arms continued to be sold. Several organisations including the UN (since 2001) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute collect information on arms delivery contracts.
The recent years were not so money-making for Belarusian arms dealers.
In 2009 among clients of Belarusian companies were Sudan, which bought Su-5 fighter aircrafts, Uganda, which received 23 T-55 tanks, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasian country was interested in fighters and howitzer weapons.
In 2008 among arms buyers there were Syria, Russia, and again Azerbaijan and Sudan.
In 2007 money were received from Armenia, Eritrea and Sudan. As we can see, there is not a single European country on the list.
The last purchase of this kind took place in 2005, when Slovakia bought 2 Mi-8 transport helicopters.
Undocumented Peru
It is supposed that the most lucrative period for Belarus was in 1992-2001, which was not monitored by the UN statistics. According to estimations of the research service of the US Congress, for instance, over the period of 1998-2001 Belarus has sold armaments for $1 billion, and took the 11th position in the world. The most active buyer was Peru then. Armaments and weapons support equipment left at the territory of Belarus since Soviet times were sold to this country.
Potential failure in Iceland
The sanctions could pass unnoticed for Belarus, if it were not for a potential contract, information about which was received in September 2010. A private company ECA Program signed a deal with Beltechexport for delivery of 15 Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” fighter jets for $1.5 billion. The company negotiated for renting out part of Keflavik Air Base in Iceland to use it as a military training facility for Western air forces. A possibility of buying 18 more such aircrafts from Belarus in the future was considered.
Iceland is moving closer to the EU quickly, so it is not excluded it can join the sanctions.
However the EU cannot influence African countries, which are the most interested in Belarusian armaments. Probably, it will be necessary to transfer money in currencies different from dollar and Euro, and via different banks, avoiding European and American ones.