MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2020) Russia is ready to allow observation flights under the Open Skies Treaty in a six mile zone along the border in Caucasus if Georgia allows Russia's observation flights over its territory, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia is rejecting US claims over the Open Skies Treaty linked to the ban on flights in six mile zones near the borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia as Russia's stance on the matter corresponds to the international law.
The Russian Foreign Ministry remarked that Russian observation flights had no access to airspace over Georgia, which is against the key ideas of the treaty.
In April 2018, Russia lifted the restrictions on flights along its Caucasus borders but reserved the right to revisit the issue. Russia would make this permanent only if Georgia fulfilled its commitments regarding the Russian flights, the ministry said.
"Russia is ready to invite observation flights into the aforementioned zones if Georgia was, in turn, ready to give up its current policy, which does not fit in with the key ideas of the Open Skies Treaty and allow the Russian observation flights over its territory," the ministry said.
