"From August 1 to 5, as part of the international Open Skies Treaty, a joint Polish-Italian mission will perform an observation flight over the territory of a group of states party to the treaty, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, in a Ukrainian An-30B observation aircraft,” Sergei Zabello said.
He added that the flight will take place along an agreed route, with Russian and Belarusian experts to be present on board in order to ensure that the aircraft and the survey equipment used are in compliance with the treaty.
The Treaty on Open Skies 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 most NATO members.
