Hungarian Soldiers Conduct Observation Flights in Russian Airspace

According to a press release sent by the Ministry of Defence to Hungarian News Agency MTI on Monday, May 26, this is the third time this year that experts of the Hungarian Defence Forces have participated in observation flights over Russia in the framework of the Treaty on Open Skies. From Monday to Friday, besides the Hungarian experts, Italian and Slovenian sensor operators take photographs of certain areas agreed upon in advance.

According to plans, the Hungarian Defence Forces will organize four additional observation flights in 2014, to be conducted over the territories of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine. In this year, Russia and Ukraine have already notified Hungary of their intention to conduct observation flights over its territory, the MoD press release says. In the interest of mutual confidence, security and stability, Hungary signed the Treaty on Open Skies in 1992, which lays down the rules of military aerial observation. According to the MoD press release, the Treaty currently has 34 countries as State Parties, including the United States of America, Canada and Russia.

ITAR-TASS and Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Sunday that the chief of the Russian National Centre for Reducing Nuclear Threat, Sergey Ryzhkov had said Russian experts would carry out two consecutive observation flights over the territories of Romania and Hungary in the framework of the Treaty on Open Skies. The unarmed observation flights will be conducted between May 25 and 31, and the Russian aircraft will take off from the aerodromes of Bucharest and Kecskemét, Sergey Rizhkov added.