MOSCOW, September 26. /TASS/. Any controversies that may arise in the process of implementing the Treaty on Open Skies must be settled in compliance with the commitments made by the signatories, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on media reports to the effect that Washington might limit flights by Russian military planes over its airspace in retaliation for similar restrictions by Russia.
"There is hardly any room for interpretations. The Treaty on Open Skies is to be strictly followed and any complaints put forward in strict compliance with that treaty, because each party has its own obligations under this document," Peskov said.
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday said that US authorities were going to impose restrictions on flights by Russian military aircraft over the territory of the United States. The daily said Washington had made the decision in retaliation for Russia’s restrictions on flights over the Kaliningrad Region. According to the newspaper, the restrictions may apply to monitoring flights over Alaska and Hawaii.
The Treaty on Open Skies, concluded in Helsinki on March 24, 1992, enables the signatories to dispatch planes to fly over each other’s territories to monitor military activities in accordance with the agreed and coordinated quotas of observer missions. The Consultative Commission established under the treaty makes mandatory consensus decisions.
Kremlin says open skies treaty controversies must be settled within pact's framework
The Treaty on Open Skies enables the signatories to dispatch planes to fly over each other’s territories to monitor military activities in accordance with the agreed and coordinated quotas