MOSCOW, July 15 (Itar-Tass) - Romanian and U.S. inspectors will make an observation flight over Russia and Belarus under the Open Skies Treaty on July 15-19, the Russian Defence Ministry’s press service told Itar-Tass on Monday.
“Under the Open Skies Treaty inspectors from Romania and the United States will perform an observation flight onboard Romania’s An-30 surveillance plane over territories of signatories to the Treaty - Russia and Belarus,” the press service said.
During the flight along the agreed route Russian specialists onboard will monitor the use of surveillance means in compliance with obligations under the treaty.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992 and came into force in 2002. It currently has 34 member states. The main purposes of the open skies regime are to develop transparency, render assistance in monitoring compliance with the existing or future arms control agreements, broaden possibilities for preventing crises and managing crisis situations within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other international organizations. Subsequently, it is planned to apply the open skies regime to new fields of cooperation, such as environmental protection.