Russia considers Pakistan its principal nuclear threat: Expert

Washington, Apr 11 (PTI) Describing Pakistan as the
"principal" nuclear threat to Russia, an eminent foreign
policy and security expert has claimed that Moscow would
support any US endeavour to take away Islamabad's atomic
weapons in case of any destabilisation in the Islamic nation.

"Russian authorities for many years have been indicating
that Pakistan was a much more serious problem, both for
nuclear proliferation and for nuclear terrorism, than Iran,"
Alexei Arbatov, Chairman of the Non-Proliferation Programme of
Carnegie Moscow Centre, said at a recent seminar here.

"Russia has been living already for more than a decade
within reach of Pakistani nuclear missiles and without any
means to defend against them. So Russia considered and
considers Pakistan to be the principal threat from the
point of view of nuclear proliferation," he said.

Arbatov was a member of the Russian Parliament from 1994
to 2003 and Deputy Chairman of the Defence Committee. Author
of several books, he is also a member of the Advisory Council
to the Foreign Minister and heads a panel on strategic
planning for the Scientific Board of the Security Council of
Russian Federation.

Referring to the improving Indo-US ties in the last few
years, Arbatov said Russia would not try to do a similar thing
with Pakistan, as is being said in certain quarters, to
counter the coming together of India and the US.

"That does not command any respect or any support. That's
-- of the few things of which I'm sure that Russia will not do
such a U-turn," he asserted.

"I think that Russia would support whatever may be done
to stabilise Pakistan, to have some precautions and some
tentative planning to take away Pakistani nuclear weapons, one
way or the other, if the country becomes totally
destabilised," Arbatov said.

However, he said "India and Iran would be much more
important American partners in dealing with the situation of
Pakistan and China". PTI LKJ
SAK
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