Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
8th March, 2016
The joint mission of the US and France will carry out an observation flight over the territory of Russia on the American observation aircraft OC-135B under the Treaty on open skies, said the acting head of the Russian National Centre for Reducing Nuclear Danger – Colonel Ruslan Shishin.
- Advertisement -
“In the period between 9th to 13th March 2016, in the framework of the implementation of the international Treaty on open skies, a joint mission of the US and France will carry out an observation flight over the territory of the Russian Federation on the American observation aircraft OC-135B from the Khabarovsk airport (New)”, — he said.
During the flight on the pre-agreed route, Russian specialists onboard the plane will monitor strict compliance with the agreed flight parameters and application of the contractual instrument of observation.
Observation aircraft OC-135B belongs to the class of aircraft that are not designed to use any weapons. The plane and the observation equipment (aerial cameras) mounted on it passed an international examination, attended by Russian experts, which excluded the use of technical means not covered by the agreement.
The open skies Treaty was adopted by 27 state-participants of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 1992 in Helsinki. Its goal is the strengthening of mutual understanding and trust. Today, parties to the “open skies” Treaty total 34 states. Russia ratified the agreement on May 26th, 2001.
