(Ottawa) The Russian regime has bombed airport infrastructure in Ukraine, confiscated planes from foreign lessors and pulverized the world’s largest cargo plane, the Antonov AN-225, which was used to transport tons of protective equipment against COVID-19.
Posted at 9:00 am
Melanie Marquis The press
For these and other reasons, the members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), who are meeting for a summit in Montreal these days, must refuse Moscow the new mandate sought by the Council of the UN agency, the Ukrainian government is demanding.
“You cannot have a member of the ICAO decision-making body who develops a policy that violates the international convention,” summarizes Danylo Davydov, head of the department for international cooperation within the administration of national aviation of Ukraine, in an interview.
In his suitcases he brought with him a scale model of the Antonov AN-225, this mastodon that landed at Mirabel Airport in May 2020 with personal protective equipment in its intestines.
The Kremlin targeted him from the first days of the invasion; it was destroyed by fire from the Russian army in late February 2022.
“This is an important part of our strategy. It was a unique aircraft that served multiple countries during the pandemic. Future generations need to know what happened to this plane and that actions have consequences, ”notes the official who landed in Kyiv on Monday night.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Ottawa, Yulia Kovaliv, will address summit attendees on Thursday, hoping to persuade as many of the 193 member countries that will elect the 36-member council from October 1 that Russia has no place will have at the table.
Ottawa will not vote for Moscow
She won’t have to move heaven and earth to convince the Trudeau government.
“Canada will not support Russia,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra’s office said in an email regarding the vote, which is secret under the rules.
And “like all UN meetings, Canada will take every opportunity to counter the Russian regime’s attempts to justify its invasion” of Ukraine, “including its violation of the Chicago Air Transport Agreement,” we added.
The opposition parties are all in the same boat.
Because “any country that breaks the rules, like Russia, doesn’t deserve to sit on an international governing body,” said conservative Michael Chong. Consequently, the government should “do everything possible to prevent this possible extension of the Russian mandate,” added Bloc member Stéphane Bergeron.
On the ICAO side, we rely on the will of the member states.
Communications administrator William Raillant-Clark insisted on emphasizing the “neutrality” Secretariat staff must demonstrate. However, he pointed out that in recent months the Council had “heard certain complaints regarding the Russian Federation”.
Russian crimes
The first condemnation by the Council came on February 25, the day after the invasion, and concerned violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and airspace.
In the second case, on June 28, ICAO’s decision-making body raised concerns about the double registration of aircraft – accusing Moscow of “stealing” aircraft leased abroad in order to re-register them in Russia.
These are violations of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention.
“Our approach has an obvious political aspect, but above all the legal aspect: Russia has violated fundamental articles of the convention,” emphasizes Danylo Davydov at the other end of the zoom.
The first article of the document?
“States Parties recognize that each State has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace over its territory. »
The Ukrainian representative refuses to open up his game and number the number of countries supporting the attempt to block Kyiv. At most, he confides in his feeling “that the chances are very good” that Russia will not receive a second mandate.
More than 2,500 delegates from member states and representatives of international organizations are at the ICAO meeting in Montreal.
Canada has a number of issues on its radar, including reviving the aviation sector, the aftermath of Iran’s downing of flight PS752 and reducing the industry’s climate footprint.
Climate neutrality for aviation: “We are counting on ICAO”
Failure to reach agreement on aviation that no longer contributes to climate change by 2050 at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) General Assembly would be a “failure,” the world’s leading airline organization has warned. Any lack of agreement at the end of the 15-day debate would mean that “this General Assembly will be perceived as a failure,” said Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), during a video conference. This organization, which brings together 290 companies representing 83% of global transport, has committed itself to achieving “net zero” emissions of CO2 by 2050 in order to comply with the Paris Agreement, which limits global warming to 1.5° C should limit. “We rely on ICAO to ensure that governments and regulators around the world also align and agree on their long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050,” added Walsh. While aviation is being singled out for its role in the climate crisis, he says a lack of consensus among ICAO’s 193 nations would be a “great disappointment.”
Media Agency France