ESA to continue space cooperation with Russia unlike NASA

The European Space Agency (ESA) has no intentions at all of reviewing its space cooperation with Russia, despite the latter’s merger with Crimea and NASA’s recent announcement of pulling out from joint projects with Moscow, SpaceNews.com weekly reported referring to ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain.

Last week, the US space agency posted on its Twitter and Facebook accounts a statement announcing the suspension of cooperation with Russia in an apparent move of siding with Washington administration’s sanctions in regard to Moscow over the situation in Ukraine.


NASA’s statement on Facebook read in particular: “Given Russia's ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, NASA is suspending the majority of its ongoing engagements with the Russian Federation.”

According to Itar-Tass, “Jean-Jacques Dordain, director-general of the 20-nation European Space Agency, said none of his governments - almost all members of NATO - nor anyone from the 28-nation European Union has suggested that Europe shut down any of its multiple space-policy arrangements with Russia,” SpaceNews.com reported. “Unlike NASA, Europe has multiple programs with Russia.”

The weekly also added that a number of ESA “officials said the diplomatic tensions over Russia’s moves in the Ukraine are like a choppy sea surface. Down below, where business is done, they said, things are continuing as usual.” The American space agency announced, however, that it intended to continue cooperation with Russia on the maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS).........[voiceofrussia.com]
8/4/14
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Related:

• ‘We Did Not Tell NASA to Stop Cooperation With Russia’ – US State Department

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