Russia Explores Ways To Respond To US Exiting Open Skies Treaty - Ryabkov

Russia Explores Ways to Respond to US Exiting Open Skies Treaty - Ryabkov

Russia is looking into various scenarios of response to the withdrawal of the United States from the Treaty on Open Skies, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday

KHABAROVSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2020) Russia is looking into various scenarios of response to the withdrawal of the United States from the Treaty on Open Skies, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump declared that Washington was pulling out from the treaty and would not rejoin it "until they [Russia] adhere."

"Right now, we have been engaging in analyzing various options, we have an open-door approach, we have nowhere to hurry. The United States of America could do whatever it wants to do, this is a country that takes into consideration neither international law nor its own obligations in various areas," Ryabkov said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Ministry has reiterated the country's commitment to the treaty.

"The Open Skies Treaty (OST), which Turkey is a party to, is one of the main pillars of Euro-Atlantic conventional security architecture. We attach importance to the implemention of the Treaty in full and in accordance with its purpose by all States Parties. We wish the continuation of the Treaty to serve the stability and security," the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hami Aksoy, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien told the German Bild newspaper earlier in the day that the US intends to actively cooperate with Russia on a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

The Open Skies Treaty was signed in 1992 and became effective ten years later. It allows 34 participating countries to conduct unarmed observation flights over each other's territories.