Traders are using Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia to avoid European Union sanctions against Russia in a tactic that violates those countries’ compliance with the bloc’s embargo, Latvian Prime Minister Kristianis Karins said on Friday, Reuters reported.

Kristianis Karinsh made the announcement after talks with EU counterparts Estonia and Lithuania, which along with Latvia were among the biggest supporters of sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“It seems quite clear that traders are finding ways to legally trade goods with, say, Turkey, Kazakhstan or Armenia, which are then sent to Russia because those countries do not comply with the sanctions regime,” Karins told reporters in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. .

Karins pointed to an increase in European trade with the three countries, which he said was “out of proportion to what it was in the past”.

He did not provide other evidence of sanctions evasion and did not specify the types of goods allegedly being traded.

The foreign ministries of Turkey and Kazakhstan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Karins’ remarks, and there was no immediate response from Armenia’s economy ministry.

“One (solution) is to work with these countries, integrate them and follow the sanctions. The second is to look for legislation across Europe to criminalize sanctions evasion,” Karins said. “Close the cracks!”

After talks with Karins and her Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Simonite, Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kallas said a “total ban on trade” with Russia should be considered to avoid sanctions.

Earlier, Turkey condemned Russia’s invasion and sent armed drones to Ukraine. At the same time, it opposes Western sanctions against Russia and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbors.

It also increased trade and tourism with Russia. Some Turkish firms have acquired or attempted to acquire Russian assets from Western partners that have pulled out due to sanctions, while others retain large assets in the country.

A top US Treasury official is visiting Turkey and the Middle East this week to warn countries and companies that they could lose access to G7 markets if they do business with entities subject to US sanctions.

In November 2022, European governments “unanimously” decided to consider the violation of European sanctions a “crime”.

In particular, this decision will allow sanctions to be applied to third countries and their citizens or organizations guilty of evading the sanctions adopted by the EU against Russia.

Turkey is constantly accused of evading European sanctions

The Europeans have introduced eight packages of sanctions, including suspending purchases of oil and coal, to deprive Moscow of sources of funding for the war in Ukraine.

Turkey is constantly accused of circumventing European sanctions and creating a bypass route for transporting Russian oil to EU countries despite the European embargo.

The inclusion of the violation of restrictive measures in the list of “crimes” is the first of two steps aimed at ensuring the same level of enforcement of sanctions throughout the EU and preventing attempts to circumvent or violate EU measures,” said the press release of the presidency of the EU Council in November.

The second step is to enact legislation that defines the offenses and sanctions that apply in the event of a breach of European sanctions, as member states currently have different definitions of what constitutes a breach of restrictive measures.

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