SARAJEVO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A group of Russian inspectors started surveillance flight over the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Monday, Russia's news agency TASS reported the same day.
The observation flights over the country are conducted as part of implementation of the international Treaty on Open Skies, of which BiH is one of the signatories and will last until Friday, May 17.
Russian inspectors will conduct the surveillance by Antonov AN-30B aircraft, with a maximum flight distance of 720 km, TASS added.
In previous years, BiH was surveilled by the Ukraine, Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands and Croatia, according to BiH's local media.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed by representatives of 27 countries in Helsinki on March 24, 1992. It is one of the most wide-ranging international efforts to date promoting openness and transparency of military forces and activities.
The purpose of the deal is to help build confidence between countries through the improvement of mechanisms to control military activities.
