A court in Lebanon lifted the seizure of the Syrian ship Laodecia with Ukrainian agricultural products stolen from the Russian Federation. Such a decision actually encourages Russia to continue theft, while Lebanon undermines its own food security by pushing Ukraine away as a partner. This is stated in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,
KYIV. UkraineGate . 4. August . 2022 | Political News .
Quote
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is disappointed by the decision of the Tripoli (Lebanon) court to lift the seizure of the Syrian ship Laodecia, which is transporting Ukrainian agricultural products stolen by Russia. Despite the evidence provided, the court did not take into account the position of the competent authorities of Ukraine,” the statement said.
Details
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the decision of the Lebanese court allows the ship Laodecia, which is under the influence of international sanctions due to the illegal export of goods from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, to leave the port of Tripoli with stolen Ukrainian flour and barley without hindrance.
“This decision actually encourages Russia to continue thefts in the temporarily occupied south of Ukraine with a sense of impunity. In addition, with such a decision, Lebanon actually undermines its own food security, pushing Ukraine away as its reliable partner,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
“We call on the Lebanese side to rescind the decision regarding the seizure of the Laodecia ship and to take measures to prevent further attempts to use Lebanon to ship stolen Ukrainian grain,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
They also indicated that Ukraine has always made efforts to support Lebanon’s food security, taking the first place among exporters of agricultural products to this country in 2021. Ukrainian food supplies did not stop even after the start of Russia’s full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. After the opening of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, the first grain truck left Odesa for Lebanon.
Moreover, taking into account the difficult food situation in Lebanon, in coordination with the Ukrainian owners of the illegally exported cargo, the Lebanese side was offered to sell Ukrainian flour and barley at a discounted price.
Addition
The Embassy of Ukraine in Lebanon reported on July 27 the arrival of a Syrian vessel in the sea port of Tripoli, which was loaded in the port of Feodosia with barley exported from the occupied territories. Later, the ambassador reported that the Syrian ship moored in Lebanon was carrying flour from Crimea temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, while wheat was stolen from Berdyansk, temporarily occupied by the occupiers, in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Lebanon rejected Ukraine’s claim of grain theft.
Source: Ukrgate