President Donald Trump

United States leaves Open Skies Surveillance Treaty for a period of 6 months

United States leaves Open Skies Surveillance Treaty for a period of 6 months

  • The United States has announced that the country is leaving the Open Skies treaty for a period of six months,  effective from 23 May 2020.
  • US President Donald Trump took this decision, due to the non-compliance of Russia with the treaty.
  • US has submitted a notice of its decision to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies to the Treaty Depositaries (Governments of Canada and Hungary) and to all other states party to the Treaty.
  • US would, however, reconsider its withdrawal if Russia returns to full compliance with the Treaty.

What is Open Skies treaty ?

  • Under Open Skies treaty is a forum of 34 member countries including Russia, to fly their aircraft over each other’s territory and came into force on January 1, 2002.
  • Under the treaty, the member nation can operate unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its participants to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants equal opportunity in gathering information about military forces and activities which might be of concern to them.

Russia’s Violation??

  • Russia refused access to observation flights within a 10-kilometre corridor along its border with the Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, thereby trying to advance false Russian claims that these occupied territories are independent states.
  • Russia has also illegally placed a restriction on observational flights over Kaliningrad.

Source: The Times of India

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