Illegal handgun cargo sent from Turkey to Yemen still under investigationü Turkish official admits to defect in censoring
Turkish Ambassador, Fazli Corman says Turkey and Yemen’s diplomatic ties remain unchanged despite the cargo incident.
Turkish ambassador to Yemen, Fazli Corman has asserted that the arms cargo confiscated from inside biscuit cartons originating from Turkey on Saturday in Aden Harbor won’t affect the relationship between Yemen and Turkey.
The Defense Ministry reported in a statement that the shipment was loaded with smuggled handguns, but was shipped to look like biscuit containers.
Turkish Ambassador, Fazli Corman says Turkey and Yemen’s diplomatic ties remain unchanged despite the cargo incident.Corman said the Turkish Trade and Customs Ministry admitted that there was a defect in censoring all the exported containers in Turkish harbors using X-rays because it slows down the process.
Corman added that customs authorities check the exported containers randomly, only using X-ray machines to check some exported containers, especially the ones that are exported to states that pose threats. State-run Saba news agency reported Saturday that an official from Turkey’s customs authority said the container with the weapons cargo did initially raise suspicion during the censoring process.
“The exports of Turkey to Yemen are 85 percent biscuit and cake,” Corman said. “The handguns were put at the bottom of the container, so the manual check didn’t recognize them.”
Corman said the biscuit shipment came from a Turkish province, but the type of handgun has not yet been revealed because Yemeni authorities have them. Corman also said the outcome of the investigation by Yemeni authorities will be binding to Turkey.
Several reactions rose in Yemen regarding the weapons confiscation and what the weapons were intended for. Reactions also analyzed the effect on Yemen and Turkey’s relationship.
“The issue was raised owing to the current situation Yemen is undergoing, particularly with the approach of the National Dialogue Conference,” Nabeel Al-Sharjabi, a political analyst and political science professor at Sana’a University, said. “Also, the type of handguns indicates that there was a plot to create mass chaos in Yemen.”
Al-Sharjabi also said Turkey plays a neutral role in Yemen’s uprising and attempts to be close to all regional powers, including Iran.