Russia cannot cooperate on ISS with all friendly countries — Roscosmos chief

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Due to the legal framework governing the International Space Station (ISS), Russia cannot cooperate with all friendly countries, which constitutes a form of discrimination, Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov. "There are some nuances. The legal framework around the International Space Station means that, in addition to Russia, the other key players include the United States, Japan, the European Union, and Canada. We have a number of important partners – countries friendly to us – that would like to send their own crew members to the ISS. We are ready to train them and are implementing these programs. But then our partners tell us, 'We won’t allow a space traveler from that country.' So there is a certain level of discrimination," Bakanov said. He noted that once the Russian Orbital Station is launched, it will not "ask anyone for permission." "For those we work with, for partners who wish to train their own space travelers, we will certainly train and deploy them," the Roscosmos chief stressed.