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Minsk condemns US sanctions against state-owned arms trader

The Belarusian foreign ministry has condemned the United States' move to introduce sanctions against a Belarusian state-owned arms trading and maintenance company over its links with the regime of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The US Department of the Treasury on September 19 imposed sanctions on Belarus' Belzneshpramservice (Belvneshpromservice or BVPS) for providing services to Syria’s Army Supply Bureau. It said that the Belarusian company supported the "Assad regime’s efforts to procure arms and communications equipment that contribute to the regime’s violence against the Syrian people."

Andrey Savinykh, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, described on Thursday the accusations against the company as unfounded.

"This is nothing more but an attempt at exercising pressure on Belarus for our country's open and firm stance in favor of the peaceful settlement of the Syrian conflict," Mr. Savinykh said. "It is important to stress that the Belarusian side has always strictly complied with decisions of the UN Security Council. In this context, the unilateral US sanctions run counter to the spirit of constructive cooperation between the nations on the basis of international law and mutual respect."

Belarus resolutely opposes such actions and views the "application of unilateral measures as unacceptable," Mr. Savinykh said. //BelaPAN