According to the Tajik MFA information department, Tajik Foreign Ministry on December 25 sent a note on the situation regarding mutual flights to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The note reportedly points out cases of violation by the Russian side of the Agreement on Air Communication (Agreement) that was signed on September 12, 1997.
The note, in particular, says that the Russian side once again decided to use prohibitive measures that are not provided for by the Agreement.
Article 16 of the Agreement stipulates that in the event of arising of any disputes between the parties on performance of this Agreement the parties will take consultations and the opportunities of holding consultations between the civil aviation authorizes of the two countries have not yet been exhausted.
In connection with the above mentioned, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan has applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for help with continuing direct negotiations between the relevant agencies of the two countries for purpose of settling the issues in the spirit of constructive dialogue and strategic partnership, the note said.
Meanwhile, negotiations on mutual air flight are going on in Moscow.
The history of this dispute dates back to early November. The two countries faced the threat of suspension of flights in early November because of a dispute between Moscow and Dushanbe over the status of Russia’s Zhukovsky International Airport, which was officially opened in May 2016.
Dushanbe called for a revision of existing bilateral agreements on mutual air flights, saying that Zhukovsky is Moscow’s fourth international airport and that it has increased the number of flights from Moscow to Tajikistan.
The Russian civil aviation authorities insisted that Zhukovsky International Airport is not under Moscow’s authority but of the town of Ramenskoye.
Russia's Transport Ministry said on November 3 that it would suspend flights to Tajikistan from November 8 unless Tajik aviation authorities change their position on the Zhukovsky airport near Moscow.
Following the talks that took place in Moscow on November 7, Tajik and Russian civil aviation authorities agreed to maintain and develop air traffic, and in particular reached an agreement on flights to Tajikistan from Zhukovsky International Airport near Moscow.
Trouble resumed on December 21, when Russia again threatened to close its airspace to Tajik airlines if Dushanbe would not agree to admit flights from Russian air company, Yamal Airlines.
Tajikistan’s civil aviation authorities on December 21 just an hour before midnight agreed to temporarily allow flights by Russia’s Yamal Airlines to Dushanbe from Zhukovsky International Airport.
Tajikistan has allowed Yamal Airlines to operate just one chartered flight from Zhukovsky airport to Dushanbe on December 22 to take out about 100 passengers who were stranded in Zhukovsky airport for two days.
Tajik authorities have questioned the legitimacy of the Yamal flights, but agreed to continue talks on the matter after Russia lifted its threat to stop all flights to Tajikistan.
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport said that during the November negotiations, Tajikistan agreed only to flights for Ural Airlines and Tajik Air, and that there was no mention of Yamal Airlines.
Tajik authorities said allowing the Yamal flights would break the parity of Russia and Tajikistan in the number of airlines allowed flying between Moscow and Tajikistan.
“To operate regular flights to Tajikistan, Yamal Airlines needs to get official permit from Tajikistan’s civil aviation authorities. “Yamal Airlines will not be given the permit within the next two months,” a source at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport told Asia-Plus on December 22.
A statement released by the Tajik civil aviation authorities on December 22, in particular, notes that “since the Tajik side has not yet appointed the second air carrier on this route and for the purpose of observing the parity of Tajikistan and Russia in the number of airlines flying between Tajikistan and Moscow, it appears impossible to give operating permit to Yamal Airlines for 2016-2017 winter season.”
