Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about its plans to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty.

Her Majesty’s Government have continually highlighted their willingness to discuss Russia’s concerns around the Open Skies Treaty (OST) via the appropriate channel of the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC) in Vienna. The UK responded to the government of Russia bilaterally on 31 December, reasserting our commitment to the OST and welcoming further discussion at the OSCC. States parties to the Treaty, including Russia, discussed the issue on 19 January, when the UK expressed its disappointment at the Russian decision, and again at the recent OSCC meeting on 25 January when the UK called on Russia to engage constructively with other signatories. The senior responsible official in London also speaks regularly with Russian diplomats about issues surrounding the Open Skies Treaty, and the UK Delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) maintain regular dialogue with their Russian counterparts