Progress towards a “global zero” is impossible without building a modern, proliferation-resistant architecture of international cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, based, in particular, on strict compliance with NPT verification mechanisms as well as on the multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle. We are also quite active in this area. Improving the efficiency of the IAEA verification activities is an important aspect of strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime. We believe that the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement is an efficient instrument to provide more opportunities for the Agency in this area. In the future, the Additional Protocol, together with the Safeguards Agreement, should become a universally accepted standard to verify the compliance of states with their NPT non-proliferation obligations and an essential new standard in the field of nuclear exports 

March 12, 2010   Russia criticizes US, NATO over Afghan drugs

Moscow is worried about declining public support in Europe for the war. "(Russia) is losing 30,000 lives a year to the Afghan drug trade, and a million people are addicts," Rogozin said. "This is an undeclared war against our country." "We are obviously very dissatisfied with the lack of attention from NATO and the United States to our complaints about this problem." For years, the allies tried to eradicate poppy crops, but that resulted in a boost to the insurgency as impoverished poppy farmers joined the Taliban. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's new policy of trying to win the support of the population means that these farmers are now left alone, enabling them to tend crops that produce 90 percent of the world's heroin  

March 12, 2010   Russia is the biggest proponent of conventional forces control

Russia is the first country to wish for better control of conventional forces in Europe, said Moscow’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin. The comment comes as Russia sends a letter on the issue to NATO Secretary General. The letter describes Russia’s attitude to the CFE treaty, a key Cold War arms control document. In 2007, Moscow suspended its participation in the treaty in response to the failure of new NATO members to ratify its adapted version. The issue was discussed during the visit of Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Moscow in December last year. It appears there was an inconsistency between Russia’s attitude and the way this attitude is perceived by NATO partners, Rogozin said 

March 11, 2010   Russia cautious on missile defense cooperation with West

Russia's NATO envoy has expressed cautious optimism about the new U.S. approach to a European missile shield, which could use a Russian radar as part of an integrated system. "We can only welcome the statement made by Adm. Stavridis, but the question remains - whose finger will be on the missile button? Who is going to have the final word on the use of the missile defense system?" Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview published on Thursday in Russia's Izvestia paper. "I think that the Americans, for a variety of reasons, would not allow anyone to touch this button. And that leaves a lot of room for pondering," he said. Rogozin speculated that Stavridis most likely wanted to alleviate Russia's concerns over security guarantees under the new phased-in approach for European missile defense, which could involve Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria 

October 23, 2009   Missile defence as a common cause for all (Jane's Defence Weekly, London)

Russia needs guarantees that the mobile BMD assets deployed, for example, on the ships sailing the Mediterranean sea would not turn into new problems for us in the future. A battle ship equipped with interceptor missiles and means of remote surveillance is capable of weighing the anchor and sailing up to Russian coastline. In the end, instead of missiles charged in Polish mines we would get the same missiles but already sailing around on the deck of an American battle ship in Polish territorial waters. There is small choice in rotten apples. I would very much like to believe our American colleagues and put out of my head any second thoughts of the true nature of the ballistic missile defence. But as Ronald Reagan would say in such a case: “Trust, but verify” 

October 15, 2009   Rogozin proposes to invite Amb. Tagliavini to the session of EAPC to make report

Russia`s Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin has offered the Alliance to invite the head of the group investigating the conflict in South Ossetia, Heidi Tagliavini, and listen to her report on the war causes at a session of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council(EAPC). Rogozin told Tass today the offer was voiced at a work session of the Council at the level of ambassador yesterday, on Wednesday October 14. According to him, NATO Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero promised to consider the proposal. "We can even say that the issue was supported by the Georgian side, as the Georgian ambassador stated that Georgia was not afraid of that offer"

June 17, 2009   EU Probe Creates Burden for Saakashvili (Der Spiegel)

The question will likely remain unanswered: What role did the United States, the sole remaining superpower, play in the Georgian conflict? For years, the government of former President George W. Bush provided Georgia with extensive military aid, which included sending about 150 military trainers to the country.

Nevertheless, a number of commission members are curious to know what John Tefft, the US ambassador in Tbilisi and a former advisor at the National War College in Washington, knew about Saakashvili's marching orders

May 4, 2009   Russian MFA Information and Press Department Commentary on Provocative Actions against Two Officials of Russian Permanent Representation to NATO

This outrageous action basically runs counter to statements by NATO’s leadership on its readiness to normalize ties with Russia. It is obvious to us that the forces behind this provocation are not interested in giving an impetus to the current trend towards improving relations. They are hectically seeking pretexts for obstructing the mutually advantageous development of Russia-NATO and Russia-Europe dialogue. And they are completely unscrupulous in their bid.

May 4, 2009   'The Medvedev-Sarkozy plan is not being implemented above all by Georgia itself!'

Russian MFA Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko Commentary on NATO Spokesman’s Remarks Concerning Agreements between Russia, and South Ossetia and Abkhazia on Joint Efforts to Guard Borders

March 18, 2009   Sergey Lavrov:

Transcript of Remarks and Response to Media Questions by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov at Joint Press Conference Following Talks with Afghanistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Kabul, March 16, 2009

March 18, 2009   Sergey Lavrov: "Russia is interested in raising the effectiveness of international efforts to resolve the situation in and around Afghanistan"

Transcript of Remarks and Response to Media Questions by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov at Joint Press Conference Following Talks with Afghanistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Kabul, March 16, 2009

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