LITHUANIA SHADY SELLS RIFLES SUPPLIED BY US

The Lithuanian Weaponry Fund has sold the M14 semi-automatic rifles, supplied to the Lithuanian Army by the US in 1999, although the sides signed an agreement to ban sale of the weapons.

The M14 semi-automatic rifle (Photo: didzgalvis.lt)

The M14 semi-automatic rifles, supplied to the Lithuanian Army by the US in 1999, were sold to individual persons, although the countries signed an agreement to ban sale of the weapons, the Delfi informational website reported on Tuesday.

The agreement between the Lithuanian government and the US, according to which Lithuania committed not to transfer the delivered rifles to third parties, was signed in 2002, three years after the supply.

“The US government provided a support to Lithuania in the form of the preowned M14 semi-automatic rifles, which were sold to third parties in 2014, although Lithuania and the US signed an agreement to ban sale of the weapons,” the article reads.

According to Delfi, the rifles were on free sale, any private person, who has a license for purchase of weapons, might buy them. According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Weaponry Fund of the Republic of Lithuania was selling this type of weapons at too low a price – €347.

“It is actually a low price, as in any other country a collector is ready to pay €25,000 for such a rifle,” businessman Darius Cekanauskas, who bought one exemplar from the Weaponry Fund, said.

In its turn, the Weaponry Fund demands buyers to return the purchased weapons, and has declared its readiness to pay €347 for the returned rifles.

According to the website, acting director of the Lithuanian Weaponry Fund, Jonas Salavejus said that eight M14 rifles were sold for the year. Reportedly, five of them have already been returned. Regarding the remaining three rifles, the Weaponry Fund intends to apply to the court, demanding forced return of the weapons.

“Transmitting the weapons to the Weaponry Fund, nobody warned that there is the agreement between Lithuania and the US, according to which these weapons cannot be transferred to third parties. In addition, nobody pointed out that the transferred weapons cannot be sold,” Salavejus told Delfi.

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