US leaves Open Skies Treaty, citing Russian lack of adherence, violations in Georgia’s occupied regions
Today, the United States will submit notice of its decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. Photo: Susan Walsh/The Associated Press.
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The US has announced plans to withdraw from the 35-nation Open Skies Treaty, which allows for unarmed surveillance flights over member states, saying that Russia has refused to adhere to the treaty which entered into force back in 2002.
The US provided Georgia and its occupied regions as an example of how Russia violates the conditions of the treaty.
Russia has refused access to observation flights within a 10-kilometer corridor along its border with the Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Tskhinvali), thereby attempting to advance false Russian claims that these occupied territories are independent states,” said the official statement by the US Department of State.
Tomorrow, the U.S. will formally submit its intent to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. The Treaty was meant to contribute to international security. Russia’s approach to the Treaty fatally undermined it as a confidence & transparency-building measure. https://t.co/7ZKiYxeMpF
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 21, 2020
The statement said that Russia’s designation of an Open Skies refueling airfield in Crimea, Ukraine, is similarly an attempt to advance its claim of purported annexation of the peninsula, which the United States ‘does not and will never accept.’
The US says that Russia has also illegally placed a restriction on flight distance over Kaliningrad, despite the fact that ‘this enclave has become the location of a significant military build-up’ that officials have suggested includes short-range nuclear-tipped missiles targeting NATO.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani says that Georgia has been in active communication with the US regarding the issue.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that Georgia suspended the treaty to Russia in 2012 as Russia ‘has made wrong interpretations of all international agreements, including the treaty,’ following the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
He said that Georgia has been in close cooperation and communication with its strategic partner, the US, regarding the issue.
Zalkaliani said that Georgia continues consultations with other signatories of the treaty on how the country (Georgia) might be involved in the treaty in the future.
“Installation of artificial barriers and barbed wire fences further aggravated the humanitarian conditions of conflict affected population. We are deeply concerned over the systematic violation of the fundamental human rights including the ethnic discrimination against the Georgians in both occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, "Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said.
Due to strong international support for Georgia, Russia has agreed not to participate in unarmed surveillance flights over Georgia in 2019.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Co-Operation and Security in Europe (OSCE PA) has passed a resolution titled "10 years after the August War”, initiated by Georgian lawmaker Sophio Katsarava with an overwhelming majority "despite Russia’s resistance at all stages,” the parliament of Georgia reports.
The OSCE PA approved an important document prepared by Georgia about the conflicts in the country, stating Russia continued to violate international laws and violate the rights of Georgian citizens living in and near the occupied regions.
Georgia has accused Russia of systematically violating the conditions of the Open Skies Treaty and politicising the agreement for several years. Signed in 1992, the Open Skies Treaty permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others’ entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities.