The Asomatos vessel has been allowed to unload 26.9 thousand tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat at the Egyptian port of Abu Kir. This is the fourth case of Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia reaching an Egyptian port since April.
This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga.
Sybiga reported that the Asomatos vessel was allowed to unload 26.9 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat, which, according to the Ukrainian side, was illegally exported through occupied Crimea.
According to the minister, despite repeated warnings, the ship was allowed to unload at the port of Abu Kir. This happened even after the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine sent an official request for international legal assistance to the Egyptian Ministry of Justice five days ago.
The request contained information about illegal cargo, which, according to Ukrainian law enforcement, was exported by the sanctioned company Agro-Fregat through occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian side also provided legal grounds for the arrest of the vessel and its cargo.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraine has been a reliable supplier of grain to Egypt for many years and has played an important role in the country's food security.
Sybiga also recalled that Ukraine experienced genocide through famine in the 20th century, when Moscow seized grain from Ukrainians. According to him, current cases of Russian grain thefts evoke painful historical associations.
The minister called on the Egyptian side and other states to abide by international law and not accept goods exported from the occupied territories.
“Stolen goods from occupied territories should be confiscated, not accepted. Looting is not trade, but complicity, which only fuels further aggression,” Sibiga emphasized.