All news

Russian military inspectors to make Open Skies flight over US

During the flight Russian and US military inspectors will be controlling the use of equipment and monitoring systems under the current agreements
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, November 25 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian military inspectors will make a monitoring flight over the territory of the United States, the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry told Itar-Tass on Saturday.

“Under the Treaty on Open Skies the Russian group of inspectors is to make a monitoring flight over the territory of the United States onboard an airplane Tu-154M Lk-1 from November 25 to December 3,” the press service said. “The flight will be made from the airfield Travis, California, and its maximum distance will reach 4,250 kilometres,” the press service said.

During the flight Russian and US military inspectors will be controlling the use of equipment and monitoring systems under the current agreements.

“In 2012 this will be a 36th monitoring flight, which Russian inspectors make over the territories of the Open Skies signatory nations,” the press service reported.

The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992, 34 countries signed the treaty. The monitoring flights are made over the US, Canada, European countries and Russia. The Open Skies regime is aimed at developing the transparency, assisting the observance of current and future agreements on arms control, providing broader opportunities to avert crises and settle emergency situations within the Council for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other relevant international organizations. The Open Skies regime may be expanded to such new spheres of cooperation as environmental protection in the future.