ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2020) All NATO allies called during an emergency meeting of ambassadors on the United States to refrain from leaving the Open Skies Treaty, Greek media reported.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that he would pull out of the treaty until Russia adheres to it. Washington is set to cease its participation in the treaty within six months, although the president believes that there is "a very good chance" to make a new agreement or do something to save the treaty. Russia has denied any violations of the treaty and said a US withdrawal would undermine the global security system.
"All allies have called on the United States to remain a party to the agreement," a diplomatic source told the AMNA news agency.
The French Foreign Ministry has also issued a joint statement of 11 countries - France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden - which expressed regret over the US decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty.
"The Open Skies Treaty is a crucial element of the confidence-building framework that was created over the past decades in order to improve transparency and security across the Euro-Atlantic area," the joint statement said.
The statement also pointed out the countries' readiness to continue dialogue with Russia as well as called on Moscow to lift restrictions on flights over Kaliningrad.
The Open Skies Treaty was signed in 1992 and entered into force in 2002. The agreement allows all the countries that have ratified it to conduct unarmed surveillance flights over one another.
