Switzerland Preparing Diplomatic Note Over Air Incident With Russian Plane

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is preparing a diplomatic note for Moscow with an explanation over an aviation incident with a Russian aircraft carrying members of parliament near the border with France, a Russian lawmaker said Tuesday, citing a Swiss colleague.

GENEVA (Sputnik) – On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it had called in France’s ambassador in Moscow over a dangerous incident where an apparent French Air Force aircraft approached a Russian plane with a delegation from the Russian parliament, who were to attend the 133rd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva.

The French Foreign Ministry has stated that the Air Force aircraft approaching the Russian plane belonged to Switzerland.

Following the incident, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow expected an explanation from Switzerland over the issue.

“Switzerland is preparing a diplomatic note in regard to the incident with the aircraft,” Russian State Duma lawmaker Sergei Gavrilov said.

Earlier in the day, head of the Russian parliamentary delegation Sergei Naryshkin held a meeting with the chairman of the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss parliament, Stefano Rossini, to discuss the aircraft incident.

Following the meeting, Gavrilov said that Rossini had apologized for the incident, and that the Swiss side viewed it as a lack of coordination, hoping it would not damage bilateral relations.