MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. Russia is in contact with Greek authorities to get details about the reasons behind an inspection of the Adler Russian vessel in the Mediterranean conducted by the Greek navy, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said in a statement Friday.
"We noticed the media reports about the inspection of the Adler Russian vessel, carried out by the Greek navy allegedly operating as part of the EU Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI. We are clearing up the details of what happened in contact with Greek officials, as much remains unclear for us. In particular, it needs to be clarified which international law provisions and specific information made them decide that it is possible to inspect the Russian vessel as well as whether international procedures of inspecting vessels in open sea applicable in these cases were observed," she noted.
The diplomat recalled that the IRINI operation was launched in the Mediterranean based on the UN Security Council resolution that clearly outlines its role in supporting the UN arms embargo placed on Libya. "Provision 3 of the UNSC Resolution 2292 allows UN member states, particularly through regional organizations, to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they are transporting arms or related materiel. However, it is necessary to obtain good-faith agreement from the flag state to conduct this inspection," she explained.
According to her, Moscow has repeatedly told Brussels and interested parties that the IRINI operation should imperatively be in line with international law and the frameworks set by the UNSC Resolution 2292. "The operation cannot be directed to ‘punish’ any of the Libyan sides or, on the contrary, create advantages for the other," Zakharova underscored.