AZERBAIJAN'S HEAD OF CUSTOMS CLARIFIES STATUS OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000389 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, ISN AND IO E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2018 TAGS: PREL PARM MNUC KNNP IR RS AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN'S HEAD OF CUSTOMS CLARIFIES STATUS OF HALTED SHIPMENT TO BUSHEHR REF: BAKU 382 Classified By: POLECON CHIEF JOAN POLASCHIK per 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) In an April 23rd conversation with the Ambassador, Aydin Aliyev, Chairman of Azerbaijan's Customs Service, provided further details on the Russian shipment halted at the Astara border crossing (reftel). Aliyev said that per usual GoAJ procedures, Customs has the right to allow goods to enter at the border or to deny entry. If there are doubts about what is in a shipment, Customs can refuse entry or send it under Customs control to Baku, where there is a lab. GOAJ experts from relevant agencies study the documentation accompanying the shipment to see if it is in accord with Azerbaijani regulations. If the GoAJ has any intelligence about a shipment, Customs can also check the cargo, although this procedure is not publicized. ¶2. (C) In the case of the halted shipment destined for Bushehr, Aliyev said that Customs brought the cargo to Baku and confirmed the shipment was indeed as it was listed: &spare parts and materials for atomic reactors.8 Although the shipment was correctly described by the shippers, under Azerbaijani law transiting such goods through Azerbaijan requires certain permissions, which the shipment did not have. Exporting such goods out of Azerbaijan also requires special export control permission under Azerbaijan's export control laws. The shipment also did not have this permission. Once the shippers obtain these documents, the shipment can go through. It is only an adminstrative issue, Aliyev stressed. ¶3. (C) Aliyev made a point of underscoring that everyone knows that Russia is shipping goods for Busher through Azerbaijan. He stressed that the GOAJ wants to be sure every detail of these shipments is in good order as required by the UN. DERSE