Russia urges new states to join Missile Technology Control Regime

MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Russia comes out in favor of having more states in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday in connection with the 30th anniversary of the MTCR. "We reiterate our stance to have the MTCR an operational tool to prevent the spread of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) delivery means, however, its regulations should not be an obstruction to legal trade in products at the issue," the ministry said. "We are confident that affiliation of new states possessing sizable rocket-and-space potentials as well as the use of standards developed within the MRCR framework by a wide range of other states would to a great extent enhance its efficiency," the ministry said. The ministry marked that standards of export controls over the products used in creation of WMD delivery means - ballistic and winged missiles, as well as drones, are worked out within the MTCR. Its participants exchange information on missile programs triggering concern, on tendencies in the spread of WMD delivery systems, as well as share experience in fight against illegal supplies of products under control. The Missile Technology Control Regime is a voluntary partnership among 35 countries. It was established in 1987 to decrease the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons through establishing control over supplies of equipment and technologies facilitating work on unmanned means of delivering nuclear weapons. Read more