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Russian-Belarusian strategic dialogue necessary due to US steps, says foreign minister

Sergey Lavrov also pointed out the actions of the West "aim to undermine the universal principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which plays its role in exacerbating crisis situations in the sphere of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction"

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. The need for strategic dialogue between Russia and Belarus increases due to the actions of the US in this sphere, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday at the start of the joint panel of the Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries.

"We are concerned by the crisis that deepens in the sphere of arms control," Lavrov said, mentioning Washington’s decision to exit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. "As we know, the measures offered by Russia to maintain this treaty were rejected. Now, the fate of the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty - TASS) is under question. Let’s add to this the official refusal of the US to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, US doctrine documents reflecting the possibility of lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and plans to place strike weapons in space," Lavrov said.

Lavrov also pointed out the actions of the West "aim to undermine the universal principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which plays its role in exacerbating crisis situations in the sphere of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

"In these conditions, the need for our cooperation on the entire range of these issues rises, which would be in the interest of avoiding negative developments in the sphere of strategic stability.".