A Russian aircraft will conduct a three-day aerial observation flight over Canada under the Treaty on Open Skies, Canada's Department of National Defense said on Monday.

Beginning on Wednesday, the unarmed Tupolev TU-154M aircraft, which arrived at Canada air force base in Trenton Monday, will observe and verify objects of interest or concern, such as military sites, industrial centers, communications facilities and transportation hubs.

Canadian military escorts and technical specialists will be aboard the Russian aircraft throughout the mission to ensure safety, security and compliance by monitoring imaging systems and strict adherence to the agreed observation flight route and profile.

This marks the ninth time a foreign country will have conducted an observation flight in Canada, the first since September 2004.

"The aircraft will be accorded Russia's legal right of unimpeded observation overflight of Canadian territory, in fulfillment of Canada's obligations as a state party to the Treaty on Open Skies," the department said in a statement.

The Treaty on Open Skies, which entered into force on Jan. 1, 2002, is a legally-binding accord that promotes increased confidence and transparency amongst its 34 state parties.

Canada has exercised its treaty rights by conducting observation flights over Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Treaty on Open Skies was originally negotiated between members of NATO and the former Warsaw Pact as a means to build confidence and security in the arms control process.

Although the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist before the treaty was signed in Helsinki, the former members of that alliance nevertheless continued to support the treaty.

All aircraft used for the open skies treaty are subjected to rigorous certification standards and inspections to ensure that their sensors are approved and conform to the standards of the treaty.

According to the Vienna-based Open Skies Consultative Commission, which is the implementing body for the treaty, 836 flights have been carried out as of March 2012.