Canadian authorities urged carriers to abandon flights through Belarus

Minister of Foreign Affairs Affairs of Canada Marc Garneau and Transport Minister Omar Algabra in a joint statement called on national airlines to abandon flights through Belarus. Canada condemns the forced re-routing of flight 4978 Ryanair under false pretenses and the subsequent arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich, the statement said. This outrageous act has jeopardized the safety of passengers and constitutes a serious interference with the fundamental principles and international rules that guarantee the safety of civil aviation around the world. “, – say the ministers. In their view, the Ryanair incident is “a blatant attack on media freedom.” The statement contains a demand to release journalist Protasevich. Earlier it was reported that the Ryanair plane, following the route Athens – Vilnius, made an emergency landing in Minsk on May 23 after the message about mining. The journalist Roman Protasevich was on board. He was arrested along with his girlfriend after landing in Minsk.