Kosachev accused Lithuania of violating obligations after the decision on transit

Lithuania's ban on the transit of sanctioned goods to the Kaliningrad region from the rest of RUSSIA violates a number of international legal acts that also affect EU obligations. This was stated on his page in TELEGRAM by the vice-speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev.

On the eve of the Lithuanian Railways notified the Kaliningrad Railway of the termination from June 18 of the transit of a number of goods that fell under EU sanctions .

“Regarding the beginning blockade of the Kaliningrad region by Lithuania. As an EU member state, Lithuania, within the framework of sanctions (national legislation), violates a number of legally binding international legal acts affecting not only the obligations of Lithuania itself, but also the European Union as a whole,” the senator wrote.

In particular, according to him, Lithuania violated the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Russia and the European Union of June 24, 1994, as well as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1947. “At this rate, the West may even end up violating the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, where there is also freedom of transit and freedom of the high seas, which still allows ships to pass through “neutral waters” to the Kaliningrad region. Similarly, airspace,” Kosachev stressed.

The Kaliningrad region is the westernmost region of Russia. Geographically, it is separated from the country and exists as an exclave in the Baltics. In the south, the region borders with Poland, and in the north and east - with Lithuania.

Alikhanov warned about the consequences for Lithuania due to transit restrictions Politics

Earlier in the day, Governor of the Kaliningrad region Anton Alikhanov said that Lithuania's ban on the transit of sanctioned goods to the Kaliningrad region could have far-reaching consequences for Vilnius and the entire European Union.

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He also recalled the EU's obligations under the WTO, which provide for the observance of the principle of free transit of goods, including energy, between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of Russia.

See also Alikhanov urged not to buy goods because of Lithuania's decision on transit 01:06

In April, the European Union banned the import of wood, cement, coal and other goods from Russia as part of the fifth package of sanctions. Prior to this, the import of steel and iron products was prohibited.

At the same time, the EU has excluded road transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of Russia from restrictions. The document states that transit road transportation between the Kaliningrad region and Russia of goods, the transportation of which is not prohibited by EU regulations, falls under the exemption from EU sanctions.