As the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation noted, Moscow stands for constructive and equal cooperation in the space sphere
MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Russia calls for the launch of negotiations on the development of an international instrument prohibiting the deployment of any types of weapons in outer space. This is stated in the greeting of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to the participants of the international "Gagarin" conference, which was read out on Monday by Alexander Deineko, Deputy Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"The most important task on a global scale is to prevent an arms race in outer space. We call for the launch of negotiations on the development of an international, legally binding instrument prohibiting the deployment of any types of weapons in outer space, as well as the use of force or the threat of force against space objects, " he said. "There is already a good basis for this, the corresponding Russian-Chinese draft treaty submitted to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva."
The diplomat stressed that until such a multilateral document is developed,"the initiative put forward by Russia, which has become an international one, is designed to stabilize the situation by accepting a political commitment by countries not to be the first to place weapons in outer space." "Three dozen states have already become full-fledged participants in it, their number is constantly expanding," Ryabkov added.
According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, Russia stands for constructive and equal cooperation in the space sphere. "The Russian Federation consistently supports the preservation of constructive cooperation in the space sphere in key areas of the unifying, international agenda. In the UN Committee on Outer Space, we are pursuing a line to ensure equal access of states to outer space and its preservation for future generations, " he said.
