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Moscow: Russia is preparing to leave the Open Skies military observation treaty, following the departure of the United States, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The US did not respond to proposals from Moscow on the preservation of the treaty so Russia is beginning its withdrawal, the ministry said. The treaty seeks to foster trust by allowing signatories to observe one another’s militaries. The US left the treaty on the basis of spurious accusations, the Foreign Ministry said. In November, the US formally ended its cooperation with the Open Skies treaty, half a year after announcing it would pull out of the agreement. Russia also threatened its withdrawal, but had until the last minute hoped to save the treaty. The post Cold War arms control agreement allowed the 34 participating nations, including the United States and Russia, to conduct a previously agreed number of unarmed observation flights over one another’s territory. The treaty was agreed in 1992 and came into force in 2002. It was said to be a pillar of trust between NATO members and Russia. (dpa)
The other members remain in the treaty.
NATO deputy spokesperson Piers Cazalet said all NATO allies remained “committed to effective international arms control.” “Russia’s selective implementation of its obligations under the Open Skies Treaty has for some time undermined the contribution of this important treaty to security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region,” the spokesperson said.
“Allies continue to consult closely on the future of arms control. We also remain open to dialogue in the NATO-Russia Council on risk reduction and transparency,” he said.
Politicians in Moscow meanwhile argued that NATO had failed to give security guarantees.
The head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament, Leonid Slutsky, referred to the agreement as a threat to national security.
Konstantin Kosachev, senator at the Federation Council and the chair of its Foreign Affairs Committee, said “the blame for what happened, for this sad scenario, lies entirely with the US and its NATO allies.” In October last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the fact that the US did not give a reason for its withdrawal.
“Let’s finally talk with each other,” Putin said during an expert round at the time.
He also criticized the fact that NATO members could still fly across Russia and pass on their information to the US.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in November put up conditions for Russia to remain in the treaty, demanding NATO members refrain from passing on data from observation flights to the US, which he said violated the treaty.
Russia at first remained in the treaty despite concerns in order to observe US activities in Poland and Germany.
The US did not respond to proposals from Moscow on the preservation of the treaty so Russia is beginning its withdrawal, the ministry said. The treaty seeks to foster trust by allowing signatories to observe one another’s militaries. The US left the treaty on the basis of spurious accusations, the Foreign Ministry said. In November, the US formally ended its cooperation with the Open Skies treaty, half a year after announcing it would pull out of the agreement. Russia also threatened its withdrawal, but had until the last minute hoped to save the treaty. The post Cold War arms control agreement allowed the 34 participating nations, including the United States and Russia, to conduct a previously agreed number of unarmed observation flights over one another’s territory. The treaty was agreed in 1992 and came into force in 2002. It was said to be a pillar of trust between NATO members and Russia. (dpa)
The other members remain in the treaty.
NATO deputy spokesperson Piers Cazalet said all NATO allies remained “committed to effective international arms control.” “Russia’s selective implementation of its obligations under the Open Skies Treaty has for some time undermined the contribution of this important treaty to security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region,” the spokesperson said.
“Allies continue to consult closely on the future of arms control. We also remain open to dialogue in the NATO-Russia Council on risk reduction and transparency,” he said.
Politicians in Moscow meanwhile argued that NATO had failed to give security guarantees.
The head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament, Leonid Slutsky, referred to the agreement as a threat to national security.
Konstantin Kosachev, senator at the Federation Council and the chair of its Foreign Affairs Committee, said “the blame for what happened, for this sad scenario, lies entirely with the US and its NATO allies.” In October last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the fact that the US did not give a reason for its withdrawal.
“Let’s finally talk with each other,” Putin said during an expert round at the time.
He also criticized the fact that NATO members could still fly across Russia and pass on their information to the US.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in November put up conditions for Russia to remain in the treaty, demanding NATO members refrain from passing on data from observation flights to the US, which he said violated the treaty.
Russia at first remained in the treaty despite concerns in order to observe US activities in Poland and Germany.
