NOVOSIBIRSK, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow expects Washington to take reciprocal steps toward the deployment of GLONASS navigation stations in the US by August 31, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said at the Tekhnoprom forum in Novosibirsk on Friday.
The GLONASS network, which was put into operation in 1993, is considered Russia's answer to GPS. The network provides real-time positioning and speed data for surface, sea and airborne objects.
Rogozin said Russia sees it as necessary to continue cooperating with the US on numerous issues, including navigation. "Since the early 90s we have had 11 GPS stations deployed on Russian territory and we believe we have the right to station a similar navigation system on US territory," the deputy prime minister noted.
"To prevent further politicization, we agreed that beginning June 1, GPS stations in the Russian Federation have been adjusted so that they cannot be used for military purposes," Rogozin stated.
The deputy prime minister noted that Russia has given the US three months, until August 31, for all necessary talks and consultations. "I hope that our proposal has been attended to by the US navigation authorities," Rogozin added.
The US has not yet responded to Russia's proposal to establish GLONASS stations on its territory.
