US, Russia Committed to Ensure Flight Safety During Operations in Syria

The United States and Russia will abide by the Syria flights de-confliction mechanism, also known as Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), as long as operations in the Syrian airspace continue, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook said in a press release on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In October 2015, Russian and US officials signed an MoU regarding safety procedures for the two countries’ respective air operations in Syria.

"The two sides committed to adhering to the MoU on flight safety as long as each side is operating in Syria," Cook stated after a US-Russia video conference on de-confliction.

The Pentagon described the talks as "constructive," and said the two parties will continue to have safety discussions in the future.

Russia has been conducting an aerial campaign in Syria since September 2015, while a US-led coalition of some 65 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State terrorists since September 2014.

The Daesh is a designated terrorist group that is outlawed in Russia and the United States.

US-Russia Talk on Flight Safety in Syria ‘Constructive,’ More to Come

The US Department of Defense and the Russian Ministry of Defense had a productive discussion on the flight de-confliction mechanism in Syria, and intent to have more talks on the matter, Peter Cook added.

"The conversation was constructive and the two sides agreed to continue safety discussions in this format in the future," Cook stated.