Bulgaria blocks Russian military aircraft from airspace

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34184947


Bulgaria blocks Russian 'aid' aircraft from airspace

• 8 September 2015

Bulgaria refused Russian aircraft permission to cross its airspace late last week, amid fears that Russia is boosting its military support to Syria.
Bulgaria's foreign ministry said it suspected the aircraft were not carrying aid, as Russia claimed.
Betina Zhoteva, a spokesperson for the ministry, said Bulgaria had not come under pressure from its Nato allies.
Russia has been a key ally to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during his four-year civil war with rebels groups.
"The planes were said to carry humanitarian aid but we had information - that we had every reason to trust - that the declared cargo was not the real one," said Ms Zhoteva.
She said the decision to deny the Russian aircraft permission was taken late last week but did not give details about how many planes were involved.
Bulgaria's decision raises the diplomatic stakes; a clear signal from a Nato member that suspicions about Russia's activities in Syria are growing.
It comes against a backdrop of various reports of new Russian weaponry seen on the ground in Syria, along with unsubstantiated claims that Russia is pushing in advisers and possibly even some troops to bolster the Assad regime.
The denial of the use of Bulgarian air-space will annoy Russia but it has a perfectly feasible alternative option, routing over the Caucasus and Iran.
Vladimir Djabarov, vice-president of Russia's foreign affairs council, told state press agency Tass that the aircraft contained only "humanitarian cargo".
It is "not profitable to transport weapons by plane", he added.
Bulgaria's actions follow news on Monday that the US asked Greece, another Nato member, to ban Russian supply flights to Syria from its airspace.
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday phoned Russia's foreign minister to express concern over reports of Russian military build-up in Syria.
Russia and the US disagree sharply on Syria. While Russia has backed the Syrian government, and provided it with arms, the US wants to see the removal of Mr Assad.

[Insight]

https://news.yahoo.com/bulgaria-bloc...133129610.html


Russia demands answers from Sofia, Athens as Syria flights blocked

Moscow (AFP) - Moscow on Tuesday demanded answers from Greece and Bulgaria after Sofia banned Russian supply flights to Syria from its airspace and Athens said it had been asked by Washington to do the same.
"If anyone -- in this case our Greek and Bulgarian partners -- has any doubts, then they, of course, should explain what the problem is," deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told the Interfax news agency.
"If we are talking about them taking some sort of restrictive or prohibitive measures on the Americans' request, then this raises questions about their sovereign right to take decisions about planes from other countries -- Russia in particular -- crossing their air space," he said.
"We explain where our planes are flying to, and what their purpose and their cargo is," he added.
He said that ferrying cargo, which included humanitarian and military aid, through the airspace of a third party -- as well as obtaining permission to do so -- should be a routine procedure.
"We've never had any problems before," he said.
Washington has expressed concern following reports suggesting Moscow may be boosting military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and had sent a military advance team to the war-torn country.
Earlier on Tuesday, NATO member Bulgaria confirmed it had refused permission late last night for an unspecified number of Russian aircraft to cross its airspace.
Greece said on Monday that Washington had asked it to ban Russian supply flights to Syria from its airspace.
It said it was examining the US request but gave no further details.
Moscow has dismissed US concerns about its alleged Syria buildup, saying its military aid to the Assad regime was nothing out of the ordinary.
Bogdanov reiterated Moscow's official position, stressing that the only Russian military personnel currently in Syria were there to train the local army.
"Our partners -- representatives of the Syrian armed forces -- need some help and guidance," he said.
He denied Russia had any plans to boost its presence in the war-torn country and turn its naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartus into a fully-fledged base.
"We do not have such plans," he said.
Syria was a close ally of Moscow's during the Soviet era, receiving military backing at a time when Russia supported the Arab world in its confrontation with Israel.
Bogdanov said the current military cooperation between Syria and Russia was "rather modest" compared to previous years.