MOSCOW. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Russian inspectors will carry out an observation flight in Hungary on September 30 - October 4 consistent with the Treaty on Open Skies, the Russian Defense Ministry's newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda said on Monday.
"In furtherance of the Treaty on Open Skies, Russia plans to perform an observation flight over the territory of Hungary using a Russian Antonov An-30B aerial surveillance aircraft. It will be performed from the Open Skies Treaty airfield of Papa between September 30 and October 4," the newspaper said, referring to National Nuclear Threat Reduction chief Sergei Ryzhkov.
The plane will fly to a top distance of 1,180 kilometers, the newspaper said.
The An-30B will follow the route approved by the host country, and Hungarian specialists will be on board to monitor the use of observation equipment and compliance with the treaty.
The Treaty on Open Skies is a multilateral international agreement signed by 23 member states of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe in Helsinki on March 24, 1992. Russia ratified the treaty on May 26, 2001. Thirty-four states are currently participating in the treaty. The signatories are entitled to fly over each other's territory for monitoring military activities.