Nuclear capacity to be key guarantee for many countries if arms race continues - Lavrov

GENEVA, March 20. /TASS/. The new arms race provoked by the United States’ actions can result in a situation where many countries will view their nuclear capabilities as the only guarantee of their national security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament on Wednesday. "The United States’ withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty can result in a large-scale arms race that will be unpredictable in terms of its consequences. In contrast to the 1950-1970s, when the issue at hand was the two countries’ strategic arsenals, the new arms race will be triggered by many countries’ desire to view the presence of their own nuclear and missile capabilities as the only guarantee of their national security," he stressed. "Attempts to destroy the basic agreements and reshape the entire multilateral arms control architecture for the sake of one’s short-term interests are gaining momentum. In a bid to secure dominance, the mechanisms that have helped maintain stability and predictability in international relations for decades are bluntly destroyed," the minister went to say. According to Lavrov, Russia and the whole world are faced with "aggressive foreign policy egocentrism fueled by claims to the sole authority to determine the global order rules and the fate of peoples, countries and entire regions." Russia’s top diplomat added that almost all Western countries had behaved irresponsibly and indifferently in relation to Washington’s actions to pull out of the INF Treaty. "The United States’ far-fetched, unsubstantiated statements that Russia’s 9M729 missile allegedly breaches the accord were accepted unconditionally," he emphasized. Lavrov recalled that Moscow would provide a tit-for-tat response, if Washington deployed new missile systems. "Moreover, we will respond in such a way so as to prevent Russia from being drawn into to the costly arms race," he added. Read more