DUSHANBE (TCA) — The Transport Ministry of Russia is ready to negotiate a resumption of air service with Tajikistan at the beginning of this year, Russia’s TASS news agency reported on January 9 with reference to a Ministry source.
The talks will be held provided that the Tajik authorities implement the agreements reached earlier, particularly to allow regular flights by Russia’s Yamal airline from Zhukovsky to Dushanbe and Khujand.
“The Transport Ministry of the Russian Federation has received a letter from Tajikistan’s aviation authorities, which suggests that the situation regarding flights between the countries should be negotiated,” the source in the Ministry told TASS. “The Russian side has confirmed its readiness to hold such negotiations at the beginning of this year, with the date and place to be confirmed later,” he added.
The source said that in its letter of reply, Russia’s Transport Ministry said that all agreements reached on November 8, 2016 should be implemented before the new round of talks starts. Particularly, regular flights by Yamal airline from Zhukovsky to Dushanbe and Khujand in Tajikistan should be allowed.
Flights between Russia and Tajikistan were suspended in December 2016 as the Tajik airline Somon Air was banned to perform flights to Russian regions, except Moscow and St. Petersburg. Earlier Tajikistan refused to allow flights by Russia’s Yamal airline from Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region to Khujand in the north of Tajikistan, saying that this would break the parity between the countries on the number of airlines selected for serving flights.
