Russia hopes the opening of direct regular communication between Moscow and Taipei can take place by the end of this year, with one step in that direction being charter flights between the two cities scheduled to begin next month, sources said yesterday.
"They told us that at least by the end of this year, we would be able to seal the aviation agreement. We are waiting for the internal coordination on the Russian side [over the income tax clause]," a foreign ministry official told the Taipei Times yesterday evening.
The official's remarks came in response to a report filed in Moscow by the Itar-Tass yesterday, which said the opening of direct regular communication between Moscow and Taipei is to take place this year.
Russia's disapproval of a clause regarding the mutual exemption of income tax has been the biggest obstacle to the signing of the aviation pact between Taiwan and Russia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
The report said charter flights by Airline Transaero and China Airlines would begin next week.
But sources in Taipei denied the report.
"It's impossible to fly [next week as reported] as China Airlines has not received the approval from the Russian aviation authorities yet," said the foreign ministry official who declined to be named.
China Airlines plans to make a round-trip flight to Moscow on Aug. 24, while the Russian airline will make a round-trip from Moscow to Taipei seven days later, the official said.
Market considerations have prompted China Airlines to change its date to begin the flights from Aug. 30 to Aug. 24, China Airlines Spokesman Roger Han (韓梁中) told the Taipei Times.
"The reason why we decided to start the chartered flight on Aug. 24 was because market demand then was rather strong as compared to Aug. 30 when the summer vacation is coming to an end," Han said.
The flights would mark the first time in the history of Russian aviation that there would be non-stop flights between Moscow and Taipei, the report said.
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