“Our principles in foreign policy and in our own country must be in harmony,” emphasised Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “We cannot allow any gaps or inconsistencies, especially in the current security situation. The effectiveness of the sanctions on the Lukashenko regime, as well as our own international credibility and influence, depend on it,” the prime minister explained. “This decision of the government to impose an additional sanction on oil products from Belarus in addition to the sanctions of the European Union will fill a big gap. We will also draw attention to this gap internationally – Estonia will propose that a sanction be imposed on this group of goods throughout the European Union, and I will raise this issue at the meeting of the Baltic prime ministers tomorrow.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets stated that Estonia and the European Union have imposed extensive sanctions on the Belarusian authorities and officials in response to serious human rights violations, a hybrid attack on their neighbours, and national hijacking. “In addition to these restrictions, the large-scale transit of goods similar to the restricted goods has attracted attention and resentment in the Baltic States and elsewhere. Therefore, the only possible solution is to bring the content of the restrictions in line with the spirit of sanctions by prohibiting such transport,” she said. “As there is no complete embargo on the state of Belarus, there are always goods and people that are not subject to the current sanctions. That is why we must also ensure at the level of the Baltic States and the European Union that the existing sanctions are appropriate at all times and work as purposefully as possible.”
The Tax and Customs Board will carry out thorough inspections of goods to ensure the monitoring of sanctions, including sanctions against Belarus. Samples will also be taken from goods declared under code 2707. The laboratory analysis of the Tax and Customs Board does not indicate that petroleum oil instead of coal oil was transported. According to the Tax and Customs Board, the codes have not been misused. Goods originating in Belarus are subject to more extensive random checks and no irregularities have been detected.
