US, Italian Observers to Fly Over Russia Under Open Skies Treaty

Military experts from the United States and Italy will fly over the Russian territory on board a Hungarian surveillance aircraft under the Treaty on Open Skies this week, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian experts on board the aircraft will monitor compliance with the agreed parameters of the flight and the use of observation equipment, according to the statement.

"Between May 10 and 14, a joint mission of Italy and the United States will perform an observation flight over the territory of the Russian Federation on a Hungarian An-30 surveillance aircraft under the international Treaty on Open Skies," Ryzhkov said in a statement.

The Open Skies Treaty was signed in March 1992 and became one of the major confidence-building measures in Europe after the Cold War. It entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 States Parties, including Russia and the majority of the NATO countries. The treaty allows its participants to openly gather information on each other's military forces and activities.

Russia ratified the Treaty on Open Skies on May 26, 2001.