BRUSSELS: Russia has no connection to drones flying near Belgian airfields and military bases and has neither reason nor interest in launc...
BRUSSELS: Russia has no connection to drones flying near Belgian airfields and military bases and has neither reason nor interest in launching such UAVs, the Russian Embassy said in a comment to the VRT TV channel.
"Russia has no relation to the drones in Belgian airspace. We have no reason or interest in launching any," the diplomatic mission said.
The statement emphasized that "the only proper course of action in such cases should not involve stirring up tensions or ‘megaphone diplomacy,’ but rather establishing contacts and cooperation between the relevant agencies," which Moscow is prepared to do.
"The Russian side has repeatedly stated its position on this issue, including following the unfounded accusations over the drone incident in Poland. We would like to remind you that at that time, the Russian Defense Ministry, despite the lack of any evidence of our guilt, offered to hold relevant consultations with our Polish colleagues. However, this constructive initiative was ignored," the embassy added.
Commenting on reports in the Belgian media citing anonymous sources suggesting that Russia may be "involved" in the unidentified drone flights in Belgium, the embassy said: "The Belgian government has not made any direct accusations against Russia. These are just ‘highly likely’ assumptions on their part."
All three of Belgium’s airports - in Brussels, Liege, and Charleroi - were closed for about two hours on the evening of November 4 after UAVs were spotted over their airspace. According to Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken, unidentified drones were observed over the Florennes air base, where recently delivered US F-35 fighter jets are stationed, and Kleine Brogel, which stores US tactical nuclear weapons. On the evening of November 5, new reports of drones over military bases emerged.
-News Feed
COMMENTS