Ukraine Crisis Reaches England, UK: Britain Bans Russia From Farnborough International Air Show
The Ukraine crisis has reached southern England and has led to tension between Russia and the United Kingdom. The British government has denied visas the majority of the Russian delegation attending an air show next week.
The Farnborough International Air Show is one of the largest events in the aviation industry calendar with aviation companies from around the world, as well as other military and civilian contractors, showcase the latest aircraft and technology. According to the air show's website, in 2012 over 1,500 companies exhibited their products and there were 70 military delegations from 46 countries as well as 13 civil companies from 10 countries in attendance.
However, Russian companies will not be able to enjoy this wide range of potential vendors and buyers. According to The Independent, the British government has denied visas to various members of the Russian delegation because of the "Russian government's actions in Ukraine."
The British Foreign Office extends invitations to foreign nations to attend the show, but Russia's usually large delegation has been shrunk because many of the prospective attendees did not receive access to the country. The Independent also reported that the British government has barred Russia from buying British aircraft and equipment.
In response, the Russian embassy in the U.K. sent a note to the U.K. Foreign Office demanding an explanation, according to Russian news site RT.
"The Russian embassy in Great Britain regrets the disruption of the visit of the main part of the Russian delegation for the Farnborough 2014 international aerospace exhibition hosted by the UK," the note said.
One Russian company has already been affected by the visa ban, Rosoboronexport. The company's negotiations were disrupted since its original delegation of 17 was cut down to five. Among those denied visas was Sergey Kornev, the head of the delegation.
Many of the people denied visas work for Russian state companies like Roskosmos space agency, the Rostech innovative technologies corporation, the Sukhoi aircraft corporation, and the Rosoboronexport defense exporting monopoly, among others.
RT added that 74 companies applied to participate in the event and that not just top officials were denied visas but also technical specialists.
The air show begins Monday, July 14, and will be a week long.
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