MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Moscow plans to raise the issue of violations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by NATO non-nuclear states at the upcoming NPT Review Conference in New York, the head of Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for non-proliferation and arms control said on Friday.
"We will raise this issue at the conference, especially among the NATO non-nuclear member-states that violate Article 2 of the treaty under which they are obliged not to gain control over nuclear weapons," Mikhail Ylyanov said.
He explained that pilots of non-nuclear countries are being trained to deal with nuclear weapons. "The idea is not just about the violation of the spirit but the letter of the treaty," Ylyanov said.
Other world countries also share this assessment, the diplomat said, also mentioning the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), an international organization, which brings together countries that are not included in any military blocs.
"The Western partners criticize others for the failure to comply in full with the provisions of the NPT," Ylyanov said. "However, they should take measures to have an impeccable record."
The policy of the nuclear missions has been in place since 1960s, the diplomat said, adding that the signing of the NPT treaty and its entry into force did not influence it. "This policy is gaining a new impetus," he said. "The tactics of nuclear missions in fact is starting to expand and is becoming more intense."
The NPT Review Conference will take place in New York on April 27-May 22.
Speaking at the Moscow international security conference on Thursday, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said NATO’s non-nuclear member-countries participate in drills simulating the use of US nuclear weapons, which violates the NPT.
"NATO’s non-nuclear countries participate in drills [simulating] the use of US tactical nuclear weapons deployed in a number of European countries," Shoigu said.