Belgian delegation visits Serbia to verify arms exports

BELGRADE - A delegation of Belgium's Wallonia region has visited Serbia to verify arms exports based on permits issued by regional authorities to arms maker Lachaussee, the Serbian Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

During the July 17-19 visit to Serbia, the delegation ascertained that Serbia maintains a truthful and transparent position regarding a moratorium on Serbian defence industry exports to Russia and Ukraine for the duration of the armed conflict between the two states.

The Wallonian delegation was hosted in Belgrade and other Serbian cities by Serbian arms company Jugoimport-SDPR, which provided insight to the Belgian partners into procedures related to manufacture and exports of arms and military equipment.

In a statement, the ministry said this quashed all false accusations and insinuations about alleged exports to the Russian Federation of manufacturing equipment delivered to Serbian companies by the Belgian firm as well as of arms and ammunition manufactured using that equipment.

It said the accusations were aimed exclusively at harming Serbia's foreign policy position and international reputation.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Republic of Serbia has not agreed or carried out exports of any type of arms or military equipment to any of the warring parties and it will maintain this position for the duration of the armed conflict between the two states, it said.

In line with regulations on exports of arms and military equipment, Serbia always demands end user certificates from customers to ensure the end users agree not to resell, re-export or transship the shipments in question to any other party or state without written consent of the relevant authority of the Republic of Serbia, it said.

Also, Serbia strictly complies with its own obligations under end user certificates it has issued and, therefore, the Wallonian delegation was able to ascertain that all equipment delivered by the Belgian company is in Serbia and that it has not been exported, the ministry said.