The Bureau of Industry and Security on June 16 suspended the export privileges of Belavia Belarusian Airlines, the country’s state-owned national airline, for violating U.S. export controls against Belarus. BIS issued a 180-day temporary denial order for Belavia, which bans it from participating in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations.
Some Russian airlines are considering relocating to Turkey to skirt sanctions that so far have stopped them from leasing aircraft and accessing maintenance and repair facilities. Pegas Touristik, owner of Nordwind Airlines, and Anex Tourism Group, operator of Azur Air, have had discussions with leasing companies in Turkey about getting planes, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported June 8. Azur Air and Nordwind primarily ferry Russian tourists to marquee locations and are controlled by Turkish businessmen. Since the carriers are not sanctioned, their relocation wouldn't violate the restrictions, Bloomberg said. The EU's sanctions led to companies terminating leases to airlines in Russia and banned the carriers from flying in European airspace.
The Bureau of Industry and Security June 6 charged Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich with violating U.S. export controls by exporting U.S.-origin aircraft to Russia without the required licenses (see 2202240069). BIS said Abramovich’s planes flew to and from Russia in March, days after the agency announced new export controls on Russia-related aircraft.
World Trade Organization members adopted two panel reports at the May 31 meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body, the WTO said May 31. The reports concern Mexico's challenge to Costa Rica's restrictions on fresh avocado imports from Mexico and Turkey's challenge to the EU's safeguard measure restricting certain steel product imports. Neither report is being appealed to the defunct Appellate Body.
The Bureau of Industry and Security soon will introduce a congressional notification requirement for certain firearm exports, the agency said in a final rule. The change, effective July 18, will add a new section to the Export Administration Regulations that will require congressional reporting for certain semiautomatic firearms shipments valued at $4 million or more and destined to certain countries. The requirement will apply to certain guns whose export control authority was transferred from the State Department to the Commerce Department in 2020 (see 2001170030).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added a Hamas finance official, three Hamas financial facilitators, and six companies that have generated revenues for Hamas to its Specially Designated Nationals list, it announced May 24. The "expansive network" has generated revenue for the group through the management of an international investment portfolio, a related press release said. Hamas’s Investment Office is in charge of the day-to-day management of its estimated $500 million portfolio, including companies operating in Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. “Today’s action targets the individuals and companies that Hamas uses to conceal and launder funds. ... The United States is committed to denying Hamas the ability to generate and move funds,” Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Elizabeth Rosenberg said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned five “financial facilitators” for the Islamic State group of Iraq and Syria. The people operate across Indonesia, Syria and Turkey and help “extremists” travel to Syria and other regions where ISIS operates, OFAC said. The facilitator network also helps the group conduct financial transfers. The agency designated Dwi Dahlia Susanti, Rudi Heryadi, Ari Kardian, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna and Dini Ramadhani.
Egypt recently suspended imports from more than 800 companies after they failed to comply with an Egyptian decree that requires registration of certain production facilities, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported April 29. Under the decree, certain imported products -- including dairy products, oils, fruits, textiles and household appliances -- can be released in Egypt only if their manufacturing facilities are registered with the country’s General Organization for Import and Export Control. The import ban was applied to companies in the U.S., United Arab Emirates, the U.K., China, Germany, Turkey, France, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Malaysia and South Korea, the report said.
Turkey started arbitration proceedings with the EU over Turkey's measures on the production, import and marketing of pharmaceutical products, the World Trade Organization said April 28. The proceedings were established under the Dispute Settlement Understanding to review the findings of a WTO dispute panel on the Turkish measures. The report found that Turkey has set up a system to prioritize domestic pharmaceutical products over like imported products in its review of applications for market authorization, which the panel concluded is "inconsistent with" the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The WTO said Turkey and the EU agreed on procedures for arbitration to "decide any appeal from any final report."
The EU is aiming for a sixth sanctions package next month, European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Washington, but there is still not unanimity among the 27 countries on how to treat Russian oil and on what to do about Sberbank.