Norway is disappointed by Russia's decision to launch withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty and plans to discuss how the treaty can be preserved with the other parties to the agreement, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2021) Norway is disappointed by Russia's decision to launch withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty and plans to discuss how the treaty can be preserved with the other parties to the agreement, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide told Sputnik.
On Friday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country was beginning procedures to leave the deal, as no progress had been made in removing obstacles that hinder treaty functioning after Washington's pullout. When the procedures are completed, Moscow will send a notification will to depositories.
"Norway is disappointed by the Russian announcement that it intends to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. The Open Skies Treaty facilitates unarmed observation flights that promotes military transparency and contributes to build trust between Member States. It has been an important contribution to risk reduction and our common security. We are concerned by the ongoing erosion of arms control regimes," Soreide said.
The Open Skies Treaty has been a fundamental part of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, serving both NATO and Russia's interests, the minister noted.
"Following the Russian announcement that it intends to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty, we will have to discuss with the other Member States whether and how the Treaty can be preserved," Soreide added.
As Moscow has repeatedly asked the other Open Skies Treaty members to provide legal guarantees of the confidentiality of data received during observation flights, Oslo finds it difficult to see that as a legitimate reason for the pullout, according to the foreign minister.
"Russia has demanded guarantees from other Member States that that aerial survey data from observation flights are not shared with third parties. The Open Skies Treaty explicitly prohibits such sharing of data. Consequently, it is difficult to see this as a legitimate reason to withdraw from the Treaty,' Soreide underlined.
In May 2020, US President Donald Trump said that the US would exit the Open Skies Treaty due to alleged violations by Russia. In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that there were no breaches of the treaty by Moscow. The US officially terminated its participation in the treaty on November 22.
