Talks on flights between Russia and Tajikistan to continue in Moscow

Flights between Russia and Tajikistan had been resumed after a temporary suspension but that talks on the issue would continue on Thursday, a Russian Transport Ministry spokesperson said.

Tajikistan has given permission to only one charter flight of the Yamal air carrier from the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region, Tajik Transport Minister Sherali Ganjalzoda said.

"We allowed the Yamal air company to conduct one charter flight, so that they can take passengers with tickets sold on December 20 out of the Zhukovsky airport, the plane should leave on schedule," Sputnik cited Ganjalzoda as saying.

On Wednesday, the Russian Transport Ministry announced that air travel with Tajikistan would be suspended starting from December 22. The announcement followed the decision of the Tajik aviation authorities not to grant a permit to the Yamal air carrier to conduct flights from the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region to the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, and the city of Khujand in northern Tajikistan this winter. Russia considered the move a violation of commitments under previous bilateral agreements.