MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax-AVN) - A group of military experts of the Russian General Staff department for control over treaties' implementation flew to Germany on Monday, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The group will participate in the certification of surveillance planes for compliance with requirements of the Open Skies Treaty, the spokesman said. The certification will take place at the Nordholz aircraft base before April 29.
The Russian party has submitted the AN-30B Clank surveillance plane for the certification. Planes from Ukraine and Hungary will be certified at Nordholz too.
The Clank will fly over Germany from Wednesday to Friday, so that capabilities of the aircraft and its equipment will be checked.
The Open Skies Treaty was ratified by Russia on April 18, 2001 and came into effect on January 1, 2002. The main aims of the document are the development of transparency and assistance to observation over implementation of existing and future agreements in the sphere of arms control.
The treaty allows its signatories to make flights over each other's territories in order to observe military activities such as relocation of troops and military hardware.
At present the treaty is signed by 29 nations members of the OSCE.