Three Arms Shipments Imported from Macedonia are in Store in Bulgaria

Sofia. The three arms shipments imported from Macedonia up to now are kept in a store of the importing firm EMKO, as the law requires. The weapons are in Bulgaria and have not been exported abroad, the Interior Ministry told Focus Agency after the check of the Bulgarian authorities in charge, regarding the Macedonian media publications on a possible resale or diversion of the weapons from Bulgaria.
The first arms shipment arrived on May 18th 2006, the second and the third ones arrived on July 10th 2006 and July 30th 2006 respectively. The shipment detained on December 14th is the fourth one. A reexport of some of the shipments was neither required, nor fulfilled. The first three arms shipment from the Macedonian Defense Ministry to Bulgaria were fulfilled according to an import permit issued in June 2006 by the Interdepartmental Commission for Export Control and Non-proliferation, and permits issued by the National Police Service-Ministry of Interior regarding the transportation of the weapons to stores of the Bulgarian importing company.
Earlier the National Investigation Service announced the result of its check – the detained goods were intended for Bulgaria under an official import permit issued in June 2006 by the Bulgarian authorities in charge. In regard to the deal the Macedonian Defense Ministry issued an export permit in April 2006.
According to the contract on the deal the Macedonian company selling the weapons should have provided the security guard of the goods on Macedonian territory. The contract also sets out that the Bulgarian buyer is allowed to sell the weapons to third parties.