Moscow concerned about TMD deployment in Pacific rim

Moscow is concerned about the deployment of theatre missile defences (TMD) in Southeast Asia on the alliance basis, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said while addressing the ASEAN Regional Forum in Cambodia.

According to the minister, "the attempts to build a regional security system primarily on the basis of bilateral alliances does not promote unification tendencies in the region. Moreover, they contravene the complicated process of developing multilateral mechanisms of dialogue in the sphere of politics and security." According to Ivanov, "the destabilising effect may become even more tangible as such acute problems as the proliferation of mass destruction weapons (WMD) and missile technologies are still relevant." The minister pointed out that enhancing the regimes of WMD non-proliferation which are currently subjected to severe tests is a task facing the entire international community. "We believe it should be solved on the strict basis of international law," Ivanov stressed.

According to him, ensuring the universality of the NPT (Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) and the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) remains an important issue.

Ivanov pointed out that Russia was undertaking consistent measures in that sphere and was ready to take up cardinal steps. Its recent particular contribution to the non-proliferation regime was the ratification of the Russo-American Strategic Reductions Treaty.