Russian military inspectors to fly over Spain

Russian military inspectors will make a surveillance flight over the territory of Spain under the international Open Skies Treaty within a period starting Sunday, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said as quoted by RIA Novosti. Russian experts will conduct the inspection flight on board an Antonov An-30B (Clank) aircraft between March 10 and 16, the spokesman said. The aircraft will take off from Getafe Air Base to cover a total distance of 1,800 kilometers. During the flight, Russian and Spanish specialists will monitor the operation of surveillance equipment on board the aircraft as set out in the Open Skies Treaty. This will be Russias fourth observation flight this year under the agreement. The Open Skies Treaty, which entered into force on January 1, 2002, establishes 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. Russia ratified the deal in May 2001.