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Diplomat warns against radicalization of approaches to nuclear disarmament

MOSCOW, May 3. /TASS/. Increasing radicalization of approaches to nuclear disarmament and discussion of non-proliferation issues at alternative forums cause serious concern, a a high-ranking Russian foreign ministry official said on Tuesday.

"We are starting the next NPT review cycle in rather difficult circumstances. The Treaty is still facing serious challenges," Mikhail Ulyanov, director of the ministry’s non-proliferation and weapons control department, said at the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT Treaty).

"Of course there were problems before but in recent years they have become particularly visible. We observe the increasing radicalization of approaches to nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and even to peaceful uses of nuclear energy," he said.

"NPT-relevant issues are being discussed at alternative fora with work there arranged not on the basis of mutually respectful dialogue and the rule of consensus as it is the case in the framework of the NPT, but on simple voting. The current situation does not contribute to the integrity and viability of the Treaty which makes us look into its future with concern."

Nevertheless, in his words, the NPT continues to be a pillar of global strategic stability. "It deserves to be titled the cornerstone of the modern system of international security," he underscored.