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RUSSIA WANTS MISSILE DEFENSE ISSUE ON NATO SUMMIT AGENDA
PanARMENIAN.Net
March 6, 2012 - 15:41 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian president is unlikely to attend a NATO
summit in Chicago if the missile defense issue is not on its agenda,
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday, March 6,
RIA Novosti reported.
"Russia has an invitation to the NATO summit; everything depends on
the agenda," he said.
However, if the issue of the NATO missile defense system remains
unchanged, then the chances of the Russian president attending the
summit "will be even smaller," he added.
"We have a considerable amount of work in progress but in the absence
of [a discussion] on missile defense there would probably not be
enough to take part in the summit," Ryabkov said.
NATO members agreed to create a missile shield over Europe to protect
it against ballistic missiles launched by so-called rogue states,
such as Iran and North Korea, at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2010.
Russia has demanded that NATO provide written, legally binding
guarantees that its missile shield will not be directed against Moscow
but the alliance has been reluctant to meet the demand.
PanARMENIAN.Net
March 6, 2012 - 15:41 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian president is unlikely to attend a NATO
summit in Chicago if the missile defense issue is not on its agenda,
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday, March 6,
RIA Novosti reported.
"Russia has an invitation to the NATO summit; everything depends on
the agenda," he said.
However, if the issue of the NATO missile defense system remains
unchanged, then the chances of the Russian president attending the
summit "will be even smaller," he added.
"We have a considerable amount of work in progress but in the absence
of [a discussion] on missile defense there would probably not be
enough to take part in the summit," Ryabkov said.
NATO members agreed to create a missile shield over Europe to protect
it against ballistic missiles launched by so-called rogue states,
such as Iran and North Korea, at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2010.
Russia has demanded that NATO provide written, legally binding
guarantees that its missile shield will not be directed against Moscow
but the alliance has been reluctant to meet the demand.