MOSCOW: Moscow calls on Washington to adhere to the rule of law and immediately cease illegal actions against the oil tanker Marinera, ac...
MOSCOW: Moscow calls on Washington to adhere to the rule of law and immediately cease illegal actions against the oil tanker Marinera, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"We call on Washington to resume compliance with the fundamental norms and principles of international maritime navigation and immediately cease its illegal actions against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in law·abiding activities on the high seas," the ministry said.
"We reiterate our demand that the US ensure humane and dignified treatment of the Russian citizens comprising the tanker’s crew, strictly observe their rights and interests, and make no obstacles to their prompt return to their homeland," the Foreign Ministry added.
US knew the owner
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed "serious concern" over the US military’s use of force against the oil tanker.
"The Marinera, which on December 24 received temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag in accordance with international law and Russian legislation, was peacefully transiting international waters in the North Atlantic, heading for one of Russia’s ports," the ministry said. "The US government has repeatedly received reliable information, including from the Russian Foreign Ministry, about the ship’s Russian origin and its civilian status. They could not have had any doubts about this, just as there were and are no grounds for arguing that the tanker was sailing ‘without a flag’ or ‘under a false flag.’"
"Russia did not give consent to these actions. On the contrary, it lodged an official protest with the US government regarding the pursuit of the Marinera by a US Coast Guard vessel over the past several weeks, insisting on the immediate cessation of these activities and the withdrawal of the unlawful demands made on the Russian ship’s captain," the ministry said.
Violation of international law
Under these circumstances, US military personnel boarding a civilian vessel on the high seas and effectively seizing it, as well as capturing its crew, "can only be viewed as a gross violation of the basic principles and norms of international maritime law and freedom of navigation."
Illegal sanctions
Moscow considers the US references to its national "sanctions legislation" to be unfounded.
"Unilateral restrictive measures by the US, as well as other Western countries, are illegitimate and cannot justify attempts to establish jurisdiction and, even more so, to seize ships on the high seas," the ministry said. "The statements by some US officials that the seizure of the Marinera is part of a broader strategy to establish Washington’s unlimited control over Venezuela’s natural resources are extremely cynical. We strongly reject such neo-colonialist tendencies," the ministry concluded.
-News Feed
COMMENTS