Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin opposed forcing nuclear disarmament process
Russia will oppose forcing the nuclear disarmament process as it considers it unrealistic. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin at the Future Summit at the UN headquarters on September 23.
"Such ideas are frankly unrealistic, if not to say destructive," the politician said.
Vershinin explained that accelerating nuclear disarmament while ignoring the principle of equal and indivisible security is impossible.
Vershinin noted that Russia cannot support strengthening the role of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which is known for "bias and indulgence of Western interests." According to him, the global digital treaty contains a "serious flaw," as it attempts to equate non-governmental actors with states when deciding on the international technology agenda, as well as "creating additional review mechanisms with unclear mandates on this track."
However, as Vershinin pointed out, the documents adopted at the summit still contain some ideas that meet the expectations of the global majority. For example, reforming the global financial architecture, expanding access to technology and bridging the digital divide to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
"Given this position, we emphasize that the summit outcomes do not impose any obligations on provisions on which there is no consensus. They cannot be automatically transferred to other UN documents, as they require additional careful consideration and agreement with the participation of all member states, with strict respect for their approaches and concerns," the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister concluded.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters of Russia's unchanged position on nuclear tests. Russia will not be ready to conduct tests, but will not do so if the United States gives up on them.
On August 29, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called nuclear weapons the main problem for both Washington and the entire world. He emphasized that this is a destructive force, the possible use of which the US authorities must prevent.
Prior to that, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 17 that the alliance was considering the possibility of bringing the nuclear weapons of member countries to combat readiness. According to the Secretary General, the discussion of this issue should remind the world that NATO is still a "nuclear alliance." Commenting on these words, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such statements are just another escalation of tension.
