Washington says satisfied with opened Russia's routes for Afghan operations
05:1318/05/2010 WASHINGTON, May 18 (RIA Novosti) - The United States are satisfied the way Russia provided its air cargo route for American counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan, the Russian deputy prime minister said.
Moscow and Washington signed the Air Transit Agreement on July 6 after U.S. President Barack Obama's visited Russia in May of 2009.
"The air and ground [U.S.] transit is outstanding. The U.S. Department of State as well as the White House say that the transit is good," Sergei Ivanov said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, Philip Crowley, confirmed his statement saying that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton expressed the same opinion upon meeting Ivanov, who in turn met with U.S. Undersecretary Bill Burns.
"They noted the smooth operation of the agreement reached at the Moscow summit last July on overflights to Afghanistan. The Secretary remarked during her brief period with them the success in resetting the relationship between the United States and Russia and the positive view the direction of our relations," Crowley told a daily press briefing in Washington.
Earlier in the year, Russian and NATO chiefs of staff approved a military cooperation treaty which includes Russia's support for the U.S.-led military operation in Afghanistan, specifically military transit via Russian airspace.
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