Protocol to Treaty on Nuclear-Free Zone in Central Asia needs to be ratified before April 27 - Ryabkov

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Russia deems it politically correct to ratify the Protocol to Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty before the beginning of the NPT conference in New York City on April 27, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told a session of the Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee. Ryabkov reminded that last May five nuclear powers had signed the protocol to the treaty, which obligates those countries not to use nuclear weapons and not to resort to the threat of nuclear weapons against the nuclear-free zone countries. "The document’s final international and legal registration requires its ratification by all nuclear powers," the diplomat said. "The ratification process has reached an advanced stage. Britain and France have already ratified it." According to Ryabkov, the document is currently under consideration by the Chinese Assembly of the People’s Representatives. "We expect the document to be ratified in the Chinese parliament during the April session or in two months’ time, when the next session takes place," the diplomat added. "We believe that it would be politically important to ratify the protocol before the NPT Review Conference, which gets under way in New York City on April 27," he said. On April 10, the State Duma ratified the protocol with the reservations, according to which Russia will not consider itself bound by the obligations envisaged by the protocol in case of an attack on Russia or its troops, its allies or a country with which it is bound by obligations in terms of security. Russia also reserves the right not to be bound by the protocol, if any state party to the treaty allows foreign warships to call at its ports and aircraft carrying nuclear weapons to land at its airports, or if it allows a transit of nuclear warheads through its territory. The upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, will consider the document later this week. Read more