MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Transport Ministry is ready to negotiate a potential resumption of air service with Tajikistan at the beginning of this year, according to a source in the Ministry speaking with TASS.

The talks will be held provided that the Tajik authorities implement the agreements reached earlier, particularly allow regular flights by Russia’s Yamal airline from Zhukovsky to Dushanbe and Khujend.

"Indeed, the Transport Ministry of the Russian Federation has received a letter from Tajikistan’s aviation authorities, which suggests that the situation regarding flights between the countries should be negotiated," the source in the Ministry told TASS. "The Russian side has confirmed its readiness to hold such negotiations at the beginning of this year, with the date and place to be confirmed later," he added.

In the letter of reply, Russia’s Transport Ministry said all agreements reached on November 8, 2016 should be implemented before the new round of talks starts. Particularly, regular flights by Yamal airline from Zhukovsky to Dushanbe and Khujend should be allowed.

Flights between Russia and Tajikistan were suspended in December 2016 as the Tajik airline Somon Air was banned to perform flights to Russian regions, except Moscow and St. Petersburg. Earlier Tajikistan refused to agree flights by Yamal from Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region to Khudzhand in the north of Tajikistan, saying that this would break the parity between the countries on the number of airlines selected for serving flights.