The container leaving Klaipeda contains equipment used in the development of weapons of mass destruction.

According to Rolandas Jurgaitis, Senior Advisor of the Procedures Division of the Delfi Customs Department, the device installed in the container in question is a so-called dual-use item.

Dual-use product licenses will be issued for export only. No import or transit licenses required

If military goods (from a military list) were transported, a license from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation would be required, but they would need a transit license (from a third country to a third). So the export license had to be presented to the Belarusian customs, but not to us, “he said.

A closed issue on the control of strategic and dual-use assets was planned at a meeting of the Seimas Defense and National Security Committee on Wednesday, but its chairman, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Delfi, could not confirm that this was related to this case.

“I don’t know, maybe this story is told to us, it could be like that. We only ask if everything is in order. Are we checking well for detours, some schemes? “, He said.

The contract for 1.37 million. Dollars

The history of the container that left Klaipeda dates back to 2012, when the representative of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Saudi Mohammed Al-Saud, and the representative of Belarus, Alexander Bildjukevičius, signed 1.37 million. Contract in USD for the object “The technology and pilot installation for the electrochemical deposition of copper and its application for the production of valuable products”.

This can be translated into Lithuanian as follows: electrochemical copper deposition technology and test facility and its application to the production of valuable products.

By the way, according to Belarusian journalists, a 40 million Saudi citizen is mentioned. The dollar investment has also become an honorary member of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences.

The document states that the Institute of Organic Physical Chemistry of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences undertakes to deliver to the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia a device that must also contain an additive to determine the concentration of nitrogen monoxide. and nitrogen. dioxide.

As you know, nitrogen dioxide is also used as an oxidant for rocket fuel. Saudi Arabia is also known to be actively developing its missile program to develop ICBMs.

In January 2019, The Washington Post published a post titled “Can Saudi Arabia Produce Ballistic Missiles? Satellite images raise suspicions. “

It teaches that satellite images show that Saudi Arabia, according to weapons experts and imaging analysts, has built its first known ballistic missile plant.

“If in operation, an alleged missile plant in al-Watah, southwest of Riyadh, would allow Saudi Arabia to produce its own ballistic missiles, increasing fears of an arms race against regional rival Iran,” the text says. .

It is true that it is observed that from satellite images it is not clear if the object has been completed or if it is functionally capable of producing missiles.

“However, the complex, whose satellite images grew in 2013 when King Salman was defense minister, underscores the state’s intention to produce advanced missiles after years of attempts to acquire them abroad, sometimes with success,” he said the publication.

Installed in a container

Belarusian journalists discovered that the device in question was manufactured at the Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research and installed in a standard 20-foot sea container.

It is important that each shipping container has its own unique number. In this case, it is MSUU3410046.

According to Vaidotas Šileika, General Manager of Klaipėda Container Terminal, Delfi arrived at the terminal with a machine (numbers FGR 577), loaded with cargo and sealed, and then unloaded at the storage site.

“On August 11, 2018, the container was loaded onto the ship Frederik,” he said.

As can be seen from the documents submitted by V. Šileika, the container ships were the Ridpus company and the representative of the Yang Ming ocean line in Lithuania was OLA Overseas Liner Baltic.

The product in the container is described in the documents as follows: “Industrial organic matter oxidation plant (MSUU3410046 container is included in the plant)”. The sender is Belarus and the recipient is Saudi Arabia.

Checked and lost

When Delfi contacted R. Jurgaitis, he already knew the circumstances of the container journey through Lithuania.

“The container arrived at the Šalčininkai roadside stand on July 28, 2018. The product description includes” Industrial organic matter oxidation plant “. It is mounted in a container. So the container itself is a commodity. This is not an export container, the whole set.

At Šalčininkai, the cargo goes to the “red channel” for a detailed inspection. The inspection revealed nothing illegal, illegal, violations. This was formalized in the declaration with which he arrived in Klaipeda. In Klaipeda, on August 11, loaded on the ship “Frederik”, he went to Saudi Arabia. The sender is Belarus, “said the interlocutor.

The representative of the Customs Department stated that, according to the representatives of Belarus, the container in question is a dual-use product: the device is intended for the production of rocket fuel.

“It just came to our attention then. What legislation is being violated? Belarus has signed international agreements on weapons of mass destruction, etc. Belarus also has export controls, goods must be transported with the corresponding licenses. I cannot say exactly how it will issue them. Belarus.

The question is, is there a problem in Lithuania? We are guided by Regulation 428 of the European Union on the control of dual-use items. The licenses are issued by the Ministry of Economic Innovation and there are nuances here, ”said R. Jurgaitis.

The nuances named by him are such that dual-use items do not need to be presented with a license when transiting Lithuania.

“So the export license had to be presented to the Belarusian customs, but not to us. We can ask as an additional document, but it is optional, we do not ask for such things.

Regulation 428 contains the term “transit”. It is also mentioned that a country can suspend cargo in transit if it has intelligence that this cargo, these goods are destined for programs to develop weapons of mass destruction.

That unit may be for rocket fuel production, but did we have intelligence? On the legal side, we can only stop it and turn it on again ”, said the interlocutor.

He also recalled that, for example, in 2019 attempts were made to bring missile launch systems from Lithuania to Belarus, but they were not lost.

There was no evaluation

The Delfi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it could not assess whether the declared purpose of the goods corresponded to the real one and whether the strategic procedures for the control of goods established by the legislation of this country were carried out correctly in Belarus, that is, if a export permit. by Belarus.

“The control of dual-use items is governed by Regulation (EC) No. 1049/2001 of the Council of the European Union. Amending Regulation (EC) No. 428/2009 establishing a Community regime for the control of exports, transfer, intermediation and transit of dual-use products.

Under this legislation, dual-use items from third countries in transit through the EU do not require a transit license. Transit may be prohibited if the goods may be intended for development, production, maintenance, possession, etc. of a weapon of mass destruction or its means of delivery, and authorizations may be required if the goods are intended for military use or shipped to countries subject to international sanctions.

Saudi Arabia is a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, other international agreements and has a legal obligation not to acquire nuclear weapons or other types of mass destruction.

Saudi Arabia is not subject to international sanctions. These circumstances would be taken into account when deciding on licenses to export strategic merchandise to this country. However, each application for an import, export, transit or brokerage license is evaluated individually, taking into account all the circumstances provided for in the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania and the international obligations of Lithuania.

In this particular case, there was no application for a traffic license and no evaluation was made, ”the ministry said in a comment.