U.S., Russian Officials Continue Dialogue on Syrian Airspace

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U.S., Russian Officials Continue Dialogue on Syrian Airspace

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2016 — U.S. and Russian defense officials today continued their ongoing dialogue on flight safety in Syrian airspace, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

Elissa Slotkin, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, and Air Force Maj. Gen. Steven M. Shepro, the Joint Staff’s vice director for strategic plans and policy, co-chaired today’s video teleconference with Russian Defense Ministry counterparts to discuss ongoing adherence to the U.S.-Russia memorandum of understanding on the subject, Cook said in a statement.

The two sides committed to adhering to the memorandum on flight safety as long as each side is operating in Syria, the press secretary said, noting that today's meeting follows previous video conferences on this topic.

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