Expert: Russia incites Armenia to engage in illegal trade

Russia is inciting Armenia to engage in illegal trade to evade sanctions imposed by the West, Legal expert Bayram Sadigov stated during a briefing on the economic analysis of Armenia's suspicious import-export operations, Report informs.

According to Sadigov, the provision in Chapter IV titled "Responsibility of a state in connection with the act of another state" in the section "Responsibility of states for internationally wrongful acts" of the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on January 28, 2002, which states "A state that directs and controls the commission of an internationally wrongful act by another state bears international responsibility for this act" should be directly applied to Russia:

"The European Union (EU) has imposed unprecedented large-scale sanctions against Russia in response to its aggressive war against Ukraine. In total, about 20,000 different sanctions have been imposed against Russia to date. In addition to these sanctions, port entry bans, flight bans, export/import bans (for example, minerals, timber, luxury goods, fuel, cultural goods, gold, precious metals, etc.), investment, payment and capital movement bans, restrictions on the tourism sector, bans on cooperation in the defense field, and education-related restrictions are also applied."

The expert noted that violation of sanctions can result in both administrative and criminal liability, including fines, imprisonment, and confiscation of property, depending on the country and the severity of the violation.

 "For example, in the EU, evading sanctions is punishable by imprisonment. In the US, violating the sanctions regime is a federal crime resulting in long-term imprisonment. In general, violations of sanctions are serious offenses that can lead to significant legal consequences," he said.