Turkish plane to do observation flights over Russia

ISTANBUL

Photo provided from the Turkish Air Forces website.

A Turkish plane built for observational purposes is set to fly through Russian skies between the dates of July 22 and 26 in line with the international airspace agreements, Doğan news agency reported.

The plane, a CN-235 model which lacks any sort of weaponry and aims at fulfilling only observational purposes, will be controlled by a group of Turkish and American officials. The inspection of the applications available on board of the plane was conducted with the attendance of Russian inspectors, the report said.

The Treaty on Open Skies requires parties to allow observational flights to occur in their airspace. The treaty has 34 participants, including the Turkish and Russian states. The treaty has been in force since 2002, while initial signings go back as far as 1992.