Insta
Russian Govt Approves Bill On Quitting Open Skies Treaty
IANS
May 06, 2021, 09:58 AM | Updated 09:58 AM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The Russian government said that it has approved a bill on the country's withdrawal from the Treaty on Open Skies and will submit the document to President Vladimir Putin.
As the legal procedure requires, Putin will then submit the bill to Parliament for deliberation and approval, and finally sign it into law, officially terminating Russia's participation in the Treaty, Xinhua news agency quoted the government as saying on Wednesday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on January 15 that the country had started domestic procedures for the pullout from the Treaty on Open Skies, following Washington's decision to withdraw.
The Ministry criticised the US withdrawal on November 22, 2020 "under an artificial pretext" for essentially destroying the balance of interests, severely damaging the Treaty's functioning, and undermining its role as a confidence and security-building measure.
The multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, which became effective in 2002, allows its 34 state parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others' entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
The US and Russia have blamed each other for non-compliance with the treaty.
The treaty is aimed at building confidence and familiarity among state parties through their participation in the overflights.
By 2019, over 1,500 Open Skies flights have been conducted since the deal entered into force, according to media reports.
This news has been published via a Syndicated feed. Only the headline is changed.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.