Canadian inspectors to begin aerial surveillance flights over Russia

MOSCOW, May 3 (Itar-Tass) -- A group of Canadian air inspectors on
Tuesday begins an unarmed aerial surveillance flight over Russia's
territory under the Treaty on Open Skies, a spokesman for the Russian
Defence Ministry told Itar-Tass.
The Canadian S-130 aircraft that will be used to perform the
surveillance flight and the plane's equipment have been internationally
certified, including by Russian specialists, the spokesman said.
"The route of the flight that will end on May 7 has been coordinated
with Russian specialists who will take part in the flight to see to it
that Canadian inspectors comply with agreements on the use of technical
surveillance tools," the spokesman noted.
A similar flight over the Russian territory was performed onboard a
Turkish aircraft by inspectors from the United States and Turkey on April
25 through 29. As a source in the Russian Defence Ministry told Itar-Tass
then, Russian specialists were onboard the Turkish airplane in the
surveillance flights. The airplane SN-235 and the onboard avionics passed
an international certification procedure with Russian experts involved in
it. "This rules out an opportunity for the air inspectors to use the
technical devices not envisaged under the Treaty on Open Skies," the
source stressed.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992 and came into force in
2002. It currently has 34 member states. The treaty establishes a program
of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its
participants. The treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding and
confidence by giving all participants, regardless of size, a direct role
in gathering information about military forces and activities of concern
to them. Open Skies is one of the most wide-ranging international efforts
to date promoting openness and transparency of military forces and
activities.