MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Bulgaria’s refusal to open its airspace to Russian Emergencies Ministry aircraft has not prevented the ministry's plane with humanitarian aid from reaching Syria, the ministry press service said Friday.
"The Emergencies Ministry charter flight successfully departed for Latakia using an alternative route. Bulgaria’s failure to provide passage through its territory had no effect on the Emergencies Ministry’s humanitarian mission," a spokesperson told reporters.
14 October 2015, 14:36 GMT
Last month, Bulgarian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Betina Joteva said Sofia refused to issue permits for Russian transport aircraft flights through Bulgarian airspace, citing concerns over "the purpose of the flights and the cargo."
Commenting on the refusal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would continue flying humanitarian missions using alternative routes.
Russian humanitarian aircraft reportedly fly to Syria via Iraq and Iran.
