Canadian inspectors to go on Open Skies mission in Russia
MOSCOW. Sept 29 (Interfax-AVN) - A C-130 plane of Canadian inspectors will go on an Open Skies mission in Russia on September 29 - October 4, head of the National Nuclear Threat Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov told Interfax-AVN.
"Russian specialists will stay aboard during the flight along the coordinated route to control the strict compliance with the flight plan and use of the equipment permitted by the Open Skies Treaty," Ryzhkov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the C-130 plane is not meant to carry weapons. The plane and its observation equipment (aerial cameras) have passed international certification involving Russian specialists, which rules out the use of technical means unpermitted by the Open Skies Treaty.
The Open Skies Treaty was adopted in 1992 and ratified by more than 30 member states in 1995. Its main task is to assist in the verification of current and future arms control agreements and to expand the possibility of crisis prevention and settlement within the OSCE framework. Aerial inspections are done to verify the credibility of declared armaments and positions of member countries' forces.
