The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed the temporary denial order for Belavia Belarusian Airlines, Belarus' state-owned national airline. BIS first suspended the export privileges of the airline in June (see 2206160015) and has renewed that suspension twice, barring it from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations. The agency this week renewed the denial order for one year -- longer than the previous 180-day renewals -- after finding Belavia continues to illegally operate aircraft subject to the EAR, including for flights between Russia, Belarus, Turkey and Egypt.
A senior sanctions official with the Treasury Department is in Oman and Turkey this week to discuss sanctions against Hamas and Russia, the agency announced Nov. 27. Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, is speaking with the countries about ways they can help prevent Hamas and other terrorist groups from raising and moving funds, facilitate humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and prevent and investigate trade that benefits Russia. Nelson’s trip comes after the multiple rounds of U.S. sanctions against Hamas and its financiers since the group’s terror attacks against Israel in October (see 2311140008, 2310270012 and 2310180003).
The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body on Nov. 27 agreed to Indonesia's request to set up a dispute panel to review the EU's countervailing duties on biodiesel from Indonesia, the WTO announced. The EU said it believes its duties "are fully justified, adding that it is confident its measures will be declared in line with WTO law," the WTO said. The U.S., the U.K., Norway, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Argentina and Turkey reserved their third party rights to take part in the panel proceedings.
Arif Ugur, a Turkish national who was debarred by the State Department in June (see 2306140028) after pleading guilty last year to violating the Arms Export Control Act (see 2212150082), was deported from the U.S. last week, ICE announced. The U.S. said Ugur illegally exported defense technical data to manufacturers in Turkey to make military parts that he then supplied to the Defense Department.
Members of the European Parliament are pushing member states to more strictly enforce sanctions against Russia, saying “loopholes” are still allowing Russia to reap revenue from its oil sales and import export-controlled electronics. In a resolution adopted by the parliament last week, the body called for a lower price cap on Russian oil and petroleum products and a new mechanism to oversee member states’ sanctions enforcement.
Turkey launched a safeguard investigation on wire rods, it notified the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards on Nov. 3. Turkey said that interested parties can download questionnaires from the investigation page and submit a completed copy to the General Directorate within 30 days from the date the notification was published.
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a temporary denial order on Nov. 7 against seven people and three companies for orchestrating a scheme to illegally export millions of dollars worth of export-controlled dual-use electronics to Russia. BIS said the U.S.-origin items were bought by Russian procurement agents and transshipped through other countries before being delivered to Russian companies with ties to the country’s military.
The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit on Nov. 6 replaced and updated its open general export license for goods in support of the Turkish Aerospace Industries TF-X program. The new license replaces the revoked license and allows for the export of "software or technology for the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) TF-X Programme aircraft, also known as KAAN, from the U.K. to" Turkey and, in the case of reexports, the U.K.
Two House members from California asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to talk to Turkey about its new retaliatory tariffs on American almonds. In an Oct. 31 letter, Reps. John Duarte (R) and Jim Costa (D), called the tariffs "burdensome" and said they give Australia, Spain, Uzbekistan and Iran an "unjustified competitive advantage over US almonds in the Turkish market."
The U.S. this week announced a spate of new Russia-related sanctions and export controls, targeting people and companies supplying Russia’s military, aiding its defense industrial complex or operating in various Russian financial, metals, government and procurement sectors. The measures include additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List and more than 200 combined sanctions by the Treasury and State departments targeting businesses in China, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere for sending export-controlled components to Russia.