According to the lawmakers, withdrawal from the treaty will have long-term negative consequences for the European allies of the USA.
Adam Smith (Democrat for Washington State) and Eliot Engel (Democrat for New York State), Chairmen of the U.S. House of Representatives Committees on Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs, as well as senior Democrats of the U.S. Senate Committees on Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs Jack Reed and Robert Menendez, called on the U.S. administration not to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies (PON) as the world faced a pandemic. This was said in a statement issued by lawmakers on Tuesday.
“We are deeply concerned about the Administration [Donald] Trump’s continued drive to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies and reject the Administration’s arguments as to why it should. The administration’s attempts to make significant changes to our national security policy in the midst of a global health crisis are not only short-sighted but also shameless”, – they say.
According to lawmakers, withdrawal from the treaty will have “long-term negative consequences” for U.S. European allies.
“We call on the administration to change its course with regard to this reckless political decision instead of continuing to push it while our country and the whole world are fighting an unprecedented crisis”, – they said.
About the treaty
Earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the U.S. administration has not yet made a final decision on further participation in the DON. The Wall Street Journal on October 27, 2019 reported that U.S. President Donald Trump signed a document stating his intention to leave the DON. The sources of the newspaper specified that this decision is not final, and consultations continue.
The Multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, signed on 24 March 1992 in Helsinki by representatives of 23 member States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, was developed with the active participation of Moscow. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Treaty is an important confidence- and securitybuilding measure. In practical terms, the treaty entitles participating States to conduct overflights of any of each other’s territories to monitor military activities in accordance with the quotas for observation missions specified therein and agreed upon. It regulates the conduct of flights, defines a mechanism for monitoring compliance with its provisions, and contains requirements for the aircraft and limitations on the composition and technical parameters of sensors.
For several years now, Washington has accused Moscow of selective implementation of the DON and of violating several provisions of that multilateral agreement. Russia is also filing claims with the U.S. related to the implementation of the DON. In 2017, Washington announced the imposition of certain restrictions on Russian observation flights over U.S. territory as part of the DON. Moscow soon responded in a mirror-like fashion.