[Global Network Military Channel] According to a report on the Russian Satellite News Agency website on November 23, Sergei Ryzhkov, director of the Russian National Center for Nuclear Risk Reduction, said that the French task force will take the country’s aircraft from Kubinka, Moscow region. Take off from the airport and perform an observation mission in Russian airspace from November 23 to 27.
During the flight according to the route agreed upon in advance by Russia and France, Russian professionals will board the mission aircraft together with the French mission team to monitor whether the French side strictly complies with the flight parameters agreed by the two parties and whether they use the observation equipment stipulated in the treaty.
The French Air Force C-130H transport aircraft
used to perform observation missions. This observation mission in France is a routine mission. Prior to this, France also conducted observation missions from October 19 to 23 and November 9 to 13, 2020. Dispatch mission aircraft to Russia for observation missions.
The "Open Skies Treaty" was signed in 1992 and is one of the confidence-building measures in European countries after the Cold War. The treaty has been in force since 2002, allowing participating countries to openly collect information on military forces and activities from each other. There are more than 30 contracting states. According to the treaty, countries conduct about 100 surveillance flights each year, of which 42 are directed at Russia. Out of the principle of equality, Russia also sends 42 "surveillance" aircraft to foreign countries every year. US President Trump stated at the end of May that the US is withdrawing from the "Open Skies Treaty" on the grounds that Russia has repeatedly violated the treaty, especially accusing Russia of using the treaty as a tool of "military coercion." Russia has repeatedly refuted the US's accusations of breach of contract. The United States completed the procedures for withdrawing from the treaty in the early morning of November 22, local time. After the United States officially announced its withdrawal from the "Open Sky Treaty", the representative of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a press conference: "France will abide by the treaty, including Article 9 of which, that is, the information collected during the open sky flight can only be Send to other treaty member states.”
Earlier, after the Trump administration expressed its intention to withdraw from the "Open Skies Treaty" on May 22 this year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also stated that China is determined to withdraw from the United States despite the opposition of the international community. The "Open Sky Treaty" deeply regrets it. This move by the United States, as opposed to a series of recent actions of "breaking contracts and retreating from the group", is another negative manifestation of the United States' adherence to the Cold War mentality, "America First" and unilateralism, and betrayal of international commitments. This move by the US is not conducive to maintaining military mutual trust and transparency among countries in the region, not conducive to maintaining security and stability in the relevant regions, and will also have a negative impact on the international arms control and disarmament process.
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