Purchase of three airbus jets via Gambia and the UAE: How Belarus is evading EU sanctions

Brussels – Purchases of European-made aircraft, in defiance of EU sanctions, through a Gambian operator and the intermediation of the Arab Emirates: this is how Alexsandr Lukashenko’s Belarus allegedly circumvented EU restrictions imposed for its support to Vladimir Putin’s Russia in the war against Ukraine. A triangulation that ultimately benefited Belavia, Minsk’s national airline. An operation conducted in an exemplary manner, to the point of replenishing the fleet with three Airbus A330s with which to boost Belarus’s connections with China and Southeast Asia.

An absolute “affront” for Polish MEP Mariusz Kamiński (ECR), who
asks for an explanation from the European Commission, which can do nothing but take note of what has happened. “We are aware” of what happened, admits Maria Luis Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services. “EU sanctions on Belarus prohibit EU operators from providing services, like maintenance, and from making any other economic resources available to listed persons or entities, including Belavia.” However, she acknowledges, “Based on reports available to the Commission, it seems that the sale was conducted outside of EU jurisdiction.”

https://www.eunews.it/2021/12/27/sanzioni-violazioni-dei-diritti-umani-traffico-migranti-anno-unione-europea-bielorussia-hanno-rotto-rapporti/

Lukashenko and his government have therefore reportedly managed to “pull it off right under the Commission’s nose,” with the complicity of actors against whom Brussels is now contemplating retaliation. “Where appropriate, the Commission, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, can propose new sanctions,” Albuquerque recalls. “This includes the imposition of sanctions on new targets, such as persons responsible for circumvention” of European restrictions.

In the spotlight is Magic Air, a Gambian airline formerly operated by the Turkish carrier Onur Air, which is believed to have purchased the Airbus aircraft not directly on behalf of Belavia, but “most likely” on behalf of a company based in the United Arab Emirates, which then transferred the purchases to Minsk.

English version by the Translation Service of Withub