Belgian military equipment exported to Serbia 'is not in Russia or Belarus'

A Belgian delegation travelled to Serbia this week to verify that Walloon military equipment sent to the country did not end up in Russia or Belarus, the office of Walloon minister-president Elio Di Rupo reported on Friday.

The delegation concluded that equipment from New Lachaussée (NLC) in Liège is indeed in Serbia and there is nothing to suggest that sanctions against Moscow and the Russian embargo have been circumvented.

The delegation, deployed for a three-day mission, included representatives of the administration in charge of arms export licences, the Walloon advisory committee on arms exports and the Di Rupo cabinet. They visited the Serbian installations where the military equipment is located.

Possible links

On 4 July, Di Rupo had suspended all ongoing procedures for NLC export licences to Serbia after a leaked audit about possible links between the manufacturer and Russian companies. Serbia supposedly acted as an intermediate station in this regard.

The report handed over by the delegation to Di Rupo on Thursday states that NLC's equipment is in Serbia. The members also said they were given unrestricted access to secure sites and that Serbia acted transparently.

"No element suggests that European sanctions against Russia or the Russian embargo were circumvented"

"According to the US Defence attaché in Serbia, there are no indications of Serbian exports to Russia or Belarus or traces of Serbian munitions on the battlefield in Ukraine," the Di Rupo cabinet said. "No element suggests that European sanctions against Russia or the Russian embargo were circumvented."

(BRV)

^{Walloon minister-president Elio Di Rupo © BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER}