Russia to again seek ICAO Council seat in 2025 - Rosaviatsiya

MOSCOW. March 14 (Interfax) - Russia plans to again seek membership on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2025 after failing to secure a seat in a vote last year, Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) head Alexander Neradko said in a report for a meeting of the agency's board.

"Despite the diplomatic efforts made by the Russian side [...] Russia was short six votes for getting a seat on the ICAO Council in the first group of countries for the obvious reasons of the discrediting of Russian civil aviation by unfriendly countries, as well as the politicization of ICAO activities. For the first time in its membership of the organization, Russia will not be represented in the Council for the next three years and plans to again put forward its candidacy for the Council at the 42 session of the ICAO Assembly scheduled for the fall of 2025," the report said.

The ICAO Council, which includes 36 countries, is elected every three years at an assembly session attended by representatives of the organization's 193 member countries. The Council is divided into three groups: the first group includes states of chief importance in air transport; the second group consists of countries that make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation; and the third includes countries ensuring geographic representation, so that all continents are represented.

Prior to the election of the current Council at the ICAO's 41 assembly session last fall, Russia was in the first group of countries.