According to Russia’s
Ambassador in Washington Anatoly Antonov, the situation around the treaty is a
matter of serious concern, as another agreement forming the architecture of
strategic stability is being dismantled.
WASHINGTON, June 6.
/TASS/. Russia is convinced that NATO members will share intelligence about
their flights over Russia with the United States after Washington’s pullout
from the Open Skies Treaty, Russia’s Ambassador in Washington Anatoly Antonov
told Russian reporters on Saturday.
"I have no doubt
that the NATO countries will definitely share with the United States the
information they will be receiving by their planes," the ambassador said
when asked by TASS.
"It is a very
serious issue which needs to be pondered over carefully so as to determine what
we have to do in the current circumstances," he said.
"The most
important thing is that we respond calmly to this situation. We are carefully
studying the line of behavior of both the Western states and the US,"
Antonov said. "I am sure that after a certain period of time, appropriate
steps will be taken to ensure the security of the Russian state."
According to the
ambassador, the situation around the treaty is a matter of serious concern, as
another agreement forming the architecture of strategic stability is being
dismantled.
"Now we need to
wait, as the US decision to withdraw from the treaty will come into force in
six months. An emergency conference [of the signatories to the treaty], which
is envisaged by the treaty provisions, will be convened to take concrete
decisions," he explained.
"As for the
Western European countries’ future ability or inability to use the US expertise
in implementation of the treaty, they certainly can," Antonov said.
"The matter is that in six months NATO members, non-NATO members in Europe
and Russia will be implementing the treaty and will be issuing permits for
flights over their territories and will make sure that we (the Russians - TASS)
are not involved in any dangerous military activity. The US skies will be
closed for us," he concluded.
US President Donald
Trump declared on May 21 Washington was going to withdraw from the Treaty on
Open Skies, which provides for inspection flights over member countries’
territories to monitor military activities. He motivated this step by Russia’s
alleged violation of the treaty. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a
written statement that the decision to withdraw from the treaty will come into
effect in six months after May 22.
Moscow denies these
accusations and puts forward counterclaims. Thus, Russian Foreign Ministry
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia has already voiced its own claims to
the United States concerning this treaty’s implementation.
The Treaty on Open
Skies was signed in March 1992 in Helsinki by 23 member nations of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The main purposes
of the open skies regime are to develop transparency, render assistance in
monitoring compliance with the existing or future arms control agreements,
broaden possibilities for preventing crises and managing crisis situations. The
treaty establishes a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the
entire territory of its participants. Now, the treaty has more than 30
signatory states. Russia ratified the Treaty on Open Skies on May 26, 2001.
Source: ITAR-TASS
07-06-2020
