Russian Inspectors to Fly Over Turkey Under Open Skies Treaty

Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov announced that Russian inspectors will carry out an observation flight over the territory of Turkey on March 23-27 under the Treaty on Open Skies.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian inspectors will carry out an observation flight over the territory of Turkey on March 23-27 under the Treaty on Open Skies, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said.

“The Russian An-30B observation aircraft will be conducting a flight from Diyarbakir airport. [The Russian aircraft] will follow the route agreed upon with the side being inspected, and Turkish experts on its board will be monitoring the use of equipment and [Russian inspectors'] adherence to the Treaty,” Ryzhkov said.

This will be Russia's ninth Open Skies observation flight in 2015.

The Treaty on Open Skies, aimed to promote openness and transparency of military activities, establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the entire territory of its participants. The Treaty was signed by 27 member-states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in 1992 in Helsinki. Currently it applies to 34 states. Russia joined the Treaty on Open Skies on May 26, 2001