MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to launch a surveillance flight over Denmark's territory this week as part of The Treaty on Open Skies, acting head of the Defense Ministry's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center told journalists Sunday.
"As part of The Treaty on Open Skies, the Russian Federation plans to conduct an observation flight aboard an An-30B, outfitted with digital surveillance equipment above the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark," Ruslan Shishin said.
Russia's 25th surveillance flight over the territories of the Treaty's member-states this year is planned for August 25-29.
The Russian plane is set to take off from the Aalborg Airport and take the course agreed on with Denmark. Danish experts on board the plane will control the use of the surveillance equipment and compliance with the terms of the treaty, Shishin said.
"The surveillance flight is being launched for the purposes of promoting greater openness and transparency in the military activity of the member-states of the Treaty, as well as enhancing security through stronger trust measures," he said.
A military delegation from Denmark conducted a similar observation flight over Russia between August 18 and August 22.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed on March 24, 1992, in Helsinki and applies to 34 countries. It came into force a decade later and established 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.
