Russia: US sanctions on arms trade violate laws

Moscow, Oct. 24: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday the latest US sanctions on the country’s sole arms exporter defies the international law and will have an impact on the already tense bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington.

"Like the old ones, these additional sanctions violate international law as the US is trying to apply its domestic laws beyond its borders. We’ll take this into account in our relations with Washington," Mr Lavrov told reporters here.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia’s Rosoboronexport (ROE) along with a dozen of other firms from China, Sudan, Venezuela and other countries for their alleged roles in supplying sensitive technology to Iran, North Korea and Syria.

The sanctions signed on October 16 came into force on Thursday and are valid for two years. They bar any US aid, contracts or arms sales to the blacklisted entities.

Mr Lavrov said that the sanctions would not force Russia to make concessions on Iran’s nuclear programme. "If some people in Washington think that this would make Russia more amenable to the US approaches with regard to the Iranian nuclear problem, they are wrong," he said.

Strongly reacting to the US action, ROE spokesman Vyacheslav Davydenko called them a manifestation of unethical competition.

"We view the imposition of sanctions with regard to the sole Russian facilitator of arms sales as a manifestation of unethical competition," Mr Davydenko was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. Earlier in July and December 2006 also, the United States had imposed sanctions on ROE for allegedly supplying sensitive technology to Iran.

—PTI