20 January 2003 00:00
ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, THE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN OF RUSSIA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ANSWERS A RUSSIAN/FOREIGN MEDIA QUESTION REGARDING MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT GEORGIA'S INTENTIONS TO CLOSE ITS AIRSPACE FOR RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT OVERFLIGHTS
Question: Alexander Vladimirovich, could you comment on the media reports that Georgia is going to close its airspace for Russian military aircraft?
Answer: We have taken note of the media reports that the Georgian side is considering the question of introducing new measures which would restrict life support for the Russian military bases, not only on the territory of Georgia, but also in Armenia.
If this is really so, then all this cannot but cause regret. In essence, what this implies is trying by unilateral steps to solve the questions which are the subject of the negotiations between the two countries on military problems, the next round of which is planned to be held in January-February, this year.
The attempts to link these steps to the question of movement of passenger trains on the Sochi-Sukhumi section, in our opinion, are unjustified. These are questions lying in different planes.
Of late positive aspects have begun to appear in Russian-Georgian relations, especially after the Chisinau meeting of the presidents of the two countries in October of last year, and we would like to hope that this tendency will not be reversed through unilateral steps by the Georgian side.
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