Open Skies missions to be accomplished by Russia in Czech Republic, by Turkey in Russia
MOSCOW. May 20 (Interfax) - Open Skies missions will be performed by Russian inspectors in the Czech Republic and by Turkish inspectors in Russia this week, according to Russian Nuclear Threat Reduction Center Head Sergei Ryzhkov.
"The observation flight will be performed in the Czech Republic from the Open Skies airfield Pardubice on May 20-24, 2019," the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda quoted Ryzhkov as saying.
The flight will be performed to a distance of 800 kilometers, he said.
The Russian observation plane will follow the route coordinated with the observed country, and Czech specialists will be staying on board to monitor the use of observation instruments and the compliance with the Open Skies Treaty.
"Meanwhile, a Turkish mission will perform a joint observation flight in Russia on board a Turkish CASACN-235 observation aircraft from the Kubinka airfield," Ryzhkov said.
The CASACN-235 observation plane is incapable of carrying weapons. The plane and the observation instruments (aerial photo cameras) have been internationally certified with the participation of Russian specialists, which rules out the use of technical means unpermitted by the Open Skies Treaty.