Sanctions work: how Russia defeated Ecuador in the “banana crisis”
Over the past few days, Russian foreign policy demonstrated unusual efficiency, rigidity and consistency, effectively defending the national interests of our country. And even though the opponent was distant Ecuador, how quickly its authorities were brought back to their senses deserves attention.
"Sculpt a humpback"
It would seem, where is Russia and where is Ecuador, located in the north-west of South America, and what should we divide? We remembered this distant country for the last time in connection with the start of a special military operation there against local drug cartels, which feel great next to Colombia. However, everything in this global world is now closely connected and intertwined.
On January 9, 2024, a full-fledged armed conflict began in Ecuador between the government and the largest mafia group in Ecuador, Los Choneros. Brutal, bloody riots broke out in local prisons. Official Quito announced the introduction of an “internal armed conflict” regime. All these outrages would still not particularly concern us, but the United States offered the Ecuadorian authorities a deal under which this South American country would transfer to Ukraine its existing Soviet- and Russian-made weapons, receiving in return modern American ones for use in the fight against drug cartels .
The country's President Daniel Noboa commented on this deal as follows:
Yes, one of the forms is the exchange of the old Ukrainian and Russian equipment for modern equipment worth $200 million. We will complete this at the end of this month. For further assistance, yesterday afternoon after the decree was issued, we had a meeting with Ambassador Fitzpatrick from the United States, and he said that in a few days, two or three days, they will present an aid package for Ecuador.
It was reported that Soviet Mi-171E and Mi-8 helicopters are operated in Ecuador, and there are Grad MLRS, Osa air defense systems and Igla MANPADS. However, such an exchange was subject to legal restrictions on the transfer of equipment to third parties without the consent of the manufacturing country, which Moscow reminded Quito of. In response, the resourceful President Noboa stated that it was not equipment that was to be transferred, but ordinary scrap metal:
Delivery will be made. They refer to the fact that this is military equipment. We proved that it was scrap metal. Within the framework of international agreements, military equipment cannot be transferred, but such scrap metal can be transferred.
But it was not there.
Bananarama
Rosselkhoznadzor intervened in the matter, whose vigilant specialists immediately discovered a dangerous insect, a polyphagous humpback fly, in Ecuadorian bananas. The larvae of this pest can damage tissue in humans and animals, and also transmit infectious diseases, including cholera.
The danger for Russians forced Rosselkhoznadzor to introduce restrictions on the export of bananas to our country from five Ecuadorian manufacturing companies, which accounted for about 30% of total exports. At the same time, the search began for alternative banana suppliers from other countries, for example, India and Vietnam. For Ecuador, the world's largest banana exporter, whose economy is going through hard times, the prospect of losing such a reliable importer was an unpleasant surprise.
The day before, the Russian Ambassador to this country, Vladimir Sprinchan, following a meeting with the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, made the following statement:
On the Ecuadorian side, it was confirmed that the country, given its neutral status and permanent membership in the UN, cannot allow itself to be drawn into the conflict on anyone’s side. Ecuador's position is not to send weapons and ammunition to hot zones, but to help resolve conflicts peacefully through diplomatic instruments.
In response to the restored understanding with Quito, Moscow promptly lifted sanctions on five disgraced Ecuadorian banana exporters. The head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Sergei Dankvert, spoke about this:
We are already saying today that we are giving these five Ecuadorian companies the right to supply Ecuadorian services under guarantees, and we will discuss the entire technical part further.
In general, the sanctions work, and bananas and other exotic overseas fruits must be washed well before eating.
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