The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria granted permission for the aircraft of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to fly over Bulgaria, as reported by the Bulgarian Service of Radio Free Europe.
The decision was made following a request from North Macedonia – the country currently holding the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The reason for the flight is a meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers in Skopje from November 29 to December 1, 2023.
Russia is one of the 57 member countries of the OSCE.
Since Russia initiated the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the majority of countries in Europe, including Bulgaria, have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft, expressing solidarity with Ukraine.
The ban applies to all aircraft licensed by the Russian Federation.
The West has also imposed sanctions on senior Russian officials, including Lavrov.
In the media announcement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria stated that it granted permission for the flight of a special unit of Russian aviation – through the airspace of the Republic of Bulgaria – to transport a delegation to an international forum.
The permit is temporary and valid only for this flight.
According to the announcement, the authorization for Lavrov falls under the exemption from the EU sanctions regime against him and “does not apply to members of his delegation, who are also sanctioned under the current EU law”.
Earlier, the European Commission stated that Lavrov can travel to the EU and North Macedonia, despite being under sanctions.
Over 70 delegations from OSCE member and partner countries are expected to arrive in Skopje for this week’s meeting.
According to Lavrov, representatives of Western countries have already requested meetings with him during the summit.
“There are already several requests for meetings – including from Western representatives,” said Lavrov, as reported by the Bulgarian Service of Radio Free Europe.
Last June, Lavrov’s visit to Serbia was canceled because its neighboring countries – Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Montenegro – prohibited the flight of his plane in their airspace.
