As earlier reported, in January 2012 CANSO addressed the State ATM Corporation with a request to hold the CANSO Global ATM Summit and 18th AGM in Russia in 2014. Consequently, a desion was taken to organize and conduct these events in Moscow in June 2014. The parties signed an agreement, thus confirming this arrangement. 

By early April, up to 80 percent of all preparatory arrangements were completed. A considerable amount of preliminary arrangements was conducted: financial resources were allocated, the venue was selected and agreed upon, several contracts were concluded, various sponsors were involved, meetings were held including representatives of Russian companies etc. The aforementioned work was carried out in close collaboration with the CANSO Secretariat. 

It can thus be stated that the Russian ANSP strictly complied with the concluded agreement and fulfilled all its commitments. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, on 9 April 2014, the State ATM Corporation received a letter signed by CANSO Director General, which notified of the decision to relocate the Global ATM Summit and 18th AGM to an alternative venue due to “current geopolitical tensions”. 

On 10 April 2014, an announcement and an invitation to attend the forthcoming CANSO Global ATM Summit and 18th AGM to be summoned in Dublin, Ireland, on the same dates were posted on the CANSO web-site. 

The course of the events and decisions taken have caused total bewilderment and heavy disappointment in the CANSO Executive Committee decision. We believe that such actions have set a dangerous precedent for the Organisation which initially distanced itself from politics and focused exclusively on expressing the position of the air navigation community and acting as its consolidated voice. Politically motivated decisions made by the Executive Committee may split CANSO and subordinate its entire activity to fulfilling political orders rather than its sound ambitions to promote and develop international cooperation in the area of air navigation. Such an approach from CANSO – a young albeit quite an authoritative Organisation – is unacceptable for us. 

At present, the State ATM Corporation is compelled to initiate termination of contracts with Russian companies engaged in the arrangement of the CANSO evetns with all that it implies. 

In light of the political approach which currently dominates the CANSO Executive Committee activities as well as non-compliance with the obligations assumed by CANSO, the State ATM Corporation has officially notified CANSO of the temporary suspension of its membership in the Organisation until commitments for consolidation and support of CANSO members are reinstated for the sake of the proclaimed ambitious goals to ensure safe and efficient provision of air navigation services.