"SAAB-340
aircraft and the equipment it carries were earlier approved
and certified by international experts and specialists,
including from Russia," the spokesman said.
He
added that the flights will be along the route coordinated
earlier with Russian specialists, who will be on board
of the aircraft monitoring implementation of agreements
on the use of technical equipment for the observation.
The
Open Skies Treaty, signed in 1992 at the initiative of
U.S. President George H.W. Bush, established a regime
of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories
of its 34 member states to promote openness and the transparency
of military forces and activities.
The
treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002 and its regime
covers the national territories (land, islands, and internal
and territorial waters) of all the treaty signatory states.
It is an important element of the European security structure.
