MOSCOW. March 23 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian inspectors will carry out an Open Skies mission in Turkey onboard an Antonov An-30B observation aircraft, head of the National Nuclear Threat Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov told Interfax-AVN.
"Observation flights will be performed in the period between March 23 till 27 from the Diyarbakir airfield to a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers," Ryzhkov said.
The Russian observation plane will fly along a route coordinated with Turkey, and Turkish specialists will stay onboard to control the compliance with the Open Skies Treaty and the use of observation instruments, he said.
The flight will promote greater openness and transparency in the military activity of Open Skies Treaty member states and bolster security through confidence building measures.
This will be the ninth observation flight performed by Russian inspectors in Open Skies Treaty member countries in 2015.
The Open Skies Treaty was adopted in Helsinki on March 24, 1992, by 27 OSCE member states. So far, it has been signed by 34 countries. The document was tasked to improve control mechanisms over military activity and the fulfillment of arms control treaties. The signatories are entitled to observation flights in each other's airspace. Russia ratified the Open Skies Treaty on May 26, 2001.