MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) – The group of Russian and Belarusian inspectors will conduct an observation flight over Polish territory on board Russian An-30B aircraft as part of the Open Skies Treaty, Sergei Ryzhkov, the head of Russia’s National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, told journalists.
“The observation flight will be carried out between August 4 and 8 from the Open Skies airfield Warsaw with the maximum range of the flight up to 1,400 kilometers. Russian observation aircraft will perform the flight in accordance with the agreed route, while Polish experts on board will control the usage of observation equipment and abidance by the provisions of the treaty,” Ryzhkov said.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed by 27 member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in 1992 in Helsinki. The treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding by allowing unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the territories of its 34 current member states. Russia signed the treaty on May 26, 2001.
