MOSCOW, July 4. /TASS/: The Russian Foreign Ministry does not rule out that other countries can exit the Treaty on Open Skies after the United States withdraws from it, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Saturday.
"The more substantive question is: what will happen to the treaty itself [after the US withdraws from it]? That depends on several factors. To begin with, will some other countries follow in the United States’ footsteps? Secondly, will we be provided guarantees of non-transfer by the United States’ allies in the treaty of the data that these allies collect during flights over our territory as part of Open Skies missions? We need solid guarantees of that," he said.
Decision to quit Open Skies Treaty
Russia is absolutely sure that the United States will not change its decision to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies despite the conference on the issue scheduled to be held on July 6 and other events, Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Saturday.
"We are absolutely sure that, in spite of any events due to be held before November 22, which include a special conference scheduled to be held on Monday, a regular review conference on the accord due in early October and meetings of the Open Skies Consultative Commission in Vienna at the level of the delegations of the permanent missions, Washington will not deviate from the decision to leave the treaty," he said.
Exerting all efforts to salvage Open Skies Treaty
Western countries should make every effort to ensure the viability of the Treaty on Open Skies, said Sergei Ryabkov.
"We do not rule out any options for ourselves," he said. "We will make it abundantly clear to our colleagues on Monday [at an online conference on the Open Skies Treaty] so that they have no illusions."
"If our counterparts are interested in preserving the treaty, they should make every effort to ensure its viability, in particular, work with the United States on the inadmissibility of further destructive steps by Washington," Ryabkov stressed.
