Russia seeks guarantee from Turkey for arriving planesApril 19, 2022 - 10:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia is seeking assurances from Turkey that planes carrying Russian tourists will not be seized when they land in Turkey under the sanctions the western countries imposed on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine, Hurriyet Daily News reports. Some 2.5 million to 3 million Russian tourists are expected to visit Turkey this year, however, due to the war, Russian planes will be able to serve only 400,000 to 500,000 of those travelers, daily Milliyet reported, quoting Russian newspaper Kommersant. Fearing the sanctions, Russia is now seeking guarantees for the leased planes that state-owned and private Russian airline companies use that those aircraft will not be seized when they arrive in Turkey. Russian airlines companies operate a total of 781 planes, and 571 of them were leased from other countries. There is a risk that the firms that lease those planes to Russian airlines have the right to request that they should be seized. That is why Russians are seeking assurances from Turkey. According to the report, the Russian side is holding talks with the Transport Ministry. Yet, Russian legal experts argue that Turkey is not in a position to make such a pledge on its own. Moscow secured only guarantees from Kazakhstan so far. In 2019, more than 7 million Russian visited Turkey, while only 2.1 million holidaymakers from Russia arrived in the country in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Turkey welcomed 4.7 million Russian tourists. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |