The vessel LAODICE was detained in the Lebanese port of Tripoli, which, under the Syrian flag, was allegedly transporting Ukrainian barley from Crimea, occupied by Russia. Now the Embassy of Ukraine demands an examination of the cargo in order to obtain information about its origin.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Lebanon Ihor Ostash reported this in a comment to Krym.Realiya.
The diplomat said that the Ukrainian embassy promptly responded to the appearance of the vessel in the port of Tripoli and is now demanding an examination.
"In order to confirm this, it is necessary to carry out an examination, and for this, it is necessary, accordingly, that there should be a court decision and that the vessel should be arrested. We already have such a court decision, and we will now begin, letʼs say, a legal process. And an element of this, of course, will be research and expertise. We want to take samples of this grain for examination to establish whether it is indeed the grain of Ukrainian origin. Today, there is no other way," Ihor Ostash said.
The ambassador emphasized that the ship is detained and is not being unloaded.
"There is also an appropriate response from the US Embassy in Lebanon because this vessel is under US sanctions and is subject to their so-called ʼCaesar Lawʼ. Therefore, the ship is not moving yet, it remains in the port, and it is very important for us to have access to it," the Ukrainian ambassador said.
- Russian troops methodically loot agricultural products in the occupied territories of Ukraine and export them to the Russian Federation and Syria. Already from there, they are trying to sell the stolen goods in Ukraine to other Arab and African countries.