Russia files complaint against West's violations of civil aviation safety rules

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia has filed a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over the West's violations of civil aviation safety rules.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement posted on its website stated the basis for the complaint as "unlawful unilateral restrictive measures of a discriminatory nature against the Russian Federation and its airlines."

The ministry pointed out that it means the ban on the use of European airspace by aircraft of Russian airlines, sanctions on the supply of aircraft and spare parts for them, a ban on maintenance and provision of aircraft insurance services, detention of aircraft abroad, restriction of access to meteorological information for air navigation activities.

"By their actions, the respondent states have jeopardized the safety of international civil aviation and seriously undermined mutual trust, which has been the basis of the international aviation system for almost 80 years," the ministry stressed.

Russia firmly intends to seek the cessation of all these violations of the provisions of the Chicago Convention through the mechanisms of ICAO to resolve differences, the ministry said.

"We hope that the ICAO Council will react effectively and impartially to the situation in the context of unprecedented large-scale disregard by the defendants of their international legal obligations," it said.