MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - A group of Russian aviation inspectors are to fly over the territory of the United Kingdom under the Treaty on Open Skies, Sergei Ryzhkov, the head of the Russian National Center for Reducing Nuclear Threat, said Monday.
“Under the Treaty on Open Skies a group of Russian inspectors is to conduct an observation flight on an An-30B aircraft with surveillance equipment over the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” he said.
The observation flight is to take place from August 11 to 15 and will be Russia’s 24th Treaty on Open Skies flight this year.
“The Russian aircraft will follow the route approved by the observed party, while the British participants on board of the plane will monitor the use of the surveillance equipment and ensure the compliance with the terms of the treaty,” Ryzhkov said.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992 in Helsinki and currently applies to 34 countries. It entered into force 10 years later in 2002. The treaty establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the entire territory of its participants. The treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants a direct role in gathering information about areas of concern to them.
