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RF not admit new arms race, Rogozin says

“We forcedly intend to strengthen security,” Rogozin pointed out

MOSCOW, November 23 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow will admit no arms race, Russian permanent representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s statement on missile defence “was very clear and courageous”, Rogozin said. “The Russian political leadership reiterated that if we failed to find any way to resolve the situation [in missile defence], Russia will be forced to take a military-technical decision. The Russian political leadership believes that it is necessary to preserve the strategic deterrence potential, which is the key security guarantor.”

“If anyone tries to ‘bite off more than one can chew’ and call into question this potential, countermeasures should be worked out. The president has spoken about them today,” Rogozin stressed.

At the same time, he said, “One should talk about a new arms race.” “Russia will admit no arms race. Our measures are asymmetric and not require additional expenditures,” the Russian permanent representative to NATO said. “All will be done so that the economy and Russian citizens will not damage,” he added.

“We forcedly intend to strengthen security,” Rogozin pointed out. “If we make sure that the U.S. will not give up the third and fourth phases of missile defence, our answer will be adequate,” the permanent representative said.

In his words, “NATO European allies have no their own opinion. They will not have access to the U.S. projects.” “They will the countries where any systems are deployed. They will have no impact on these plans,” Rogozin said. He considers NATO “an umbrella for deploying missile defence”.

Rogozin said, “There is a direct instruction to continue consultations with the United States until it overcomes the point of no return: to create the missile defence architecture. If this is declared at the NATO summit in Chicago, then we will give our response.”

In addition, the permanent representative noted that the deployment of Russian missiles in Belarus in return to the U.S. missile defence plans was a fantasy. “Let us not to dream up. Draw on what Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said today,” Rogozin said.