The US decision to withdraw for six months from the Open Skies Treaty
on grounds that Russia does not fully honour the accord is an alarming
development for security and stability.
Opened for signature in 1992, the Treaty on Open Skies has since
been signed by 35 states including Turkey and has been fully effective
since 2002. The treaty is a mechanism that contributes to trust-building
and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region, improves predictability in
international relations and reduces conflict risk by boosting
transparency between countries. This mechanism, whereby the parties
can have unarmed aerial surveillance flights over each other’s territory
on agreed routes, also contributes to international disarmament efforts
and verifications thereof.
One or more of the signatory states implementing the treaty selectively,
in contrast to its spirit, prejudices confidence and stability on a global
scale. Diminishing trust and transparency between the countries
jeopardizes security.
As CHP, we support the preservation and fulfilment of the requirements
of the Treaty on Open Skies under any circumstances and reiterate that
this accord benefits the interests of Turkey. With this in mind, we
welcome the positions of those countries which have stated that they
would continue to implement the treaty despite the US withdrawal.
We hope that Russia ceases its restricted implementation of the accord
and that the US revises its decision and reverts to the treaty