TURKEY STOPS TRANSIT OF EU SANCTIONED GOODS TO RUSSIA AND BELARUS
Railfreight.com reported this week that Turkish customs authorities have put a sudden stop to the transit transport of sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus. Cargo that is sanctioned by the EU can no longer be shipped through Turkey if the destination country is Russia or Belarus.
Products that are sanctioned by the EU cannot be shipped to Russia or Belarus if they originate from a Member States, due to the sanctions imposed in the aftermath of the Russia’s aggression to Ukraine. However, Turkey continued permitting them, becoming the main gateway for transport of sanctioned goods to these countries, increasing its trade with Russia by 84% in 2022 compared 2021.
Such practice changed last week, as Turkish customs authorities put a stop to the transit of sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus, as noted by operators. Although there has been no official statement, it has been noticed by operators that the products blocked were only those sanctioned by the EU. Such decision by Turkey is, most likely, closely linked with the EU’s attempt to increase enforcement of sanction law, suggesting that countries not respecting sanctions could be sanctioned themselves.
Source: RailFreight.com