Belarus to follow AWACS flights over Latvia and Estonia :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarussian air defense units will follow the flight of a NATO AWACS reconnaissance plane that will fly over Latvia and Estonia on February 23-25, a source in the Belarussian Defense Ministry told Interfax on Monday. The source expressed the hope that the plane would not fly too close to the Belarussian border. "The declared mission does not warrant this," he said.

"There I no point of reconnaissance flights over Belarus. We have joined the Open Skies Treaty so another plane better suited for the purpose may fly freely over our territory," the source said.

Belarussian officials share the unease expressed by their Russian counterparts over the flights, he said.

"What Latvia and Estonia are doing is not exactly consistent with international agreements. Latvia and Estonia could at least allow Russian officers to be present in the plane so that nobody could complain later that Belarus or Russia were less than honest," the source said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier called on Latvia and Estonia to abide by understandings reached between Russia and NATO and to say that they share the principles guiding Russia`s partnership with the alliance.

The ministry regretted these activities, which it said are inconsistent with the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security concluded by Russia and NATO.