MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Foreign partners on the missile dialogue do not avoid discussing issues, but are unwilling to bind themselves with formal obligations, especially such advanced ones as the establishment of a global legally binding instrument on the prevention of missile proliferation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Wednesday.
"The exchange of opinions on the missile issue at various multilateral platform suggests that the partners do not avoid this conversation in principle; however, just like before, they are unwilling to bind themselves by any formal dialogue obligations, such as the UN’s Group of Governmental Experts, let alone more advanced initiatives on the establishment of a global legally binding instrument on the prevention of missile proliferation," the Deputy Foreign Minister said, according to the Ministry statement.
According to Ryabkov, "there are not many viable options" left for the sides of the dialogue in the current conditions.
"One such option is an informal dialogue of missile-significant countries at the UN platform, aimed at finding a global response to the existing missile challenges that would be inclusive and discussed on the open agenda," he said. "We propose considering holding a separate event on the sidelines of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in 2022, with the participation of experts from the missile-significant countries for the discussion of possible ways to move forward on the missile track."
The senior diplomat mentioned another option - "increase of the Missile Technology Control Regime potential."
"In this context, we can discuss the accelerated admission of missile-significant countries to the Regime, or, at least, further development of a dialogue with them in an ‘outreach’ format, as well as the expansion of the information exchange potential for joint analysis of global trends on the missile track and a search for possible responses to missile challenges," he noted. "However, such dialogue in the current narrow Regime format by definition turns it into a dialogue of the ‘chosen few’ with all relevant consequences."
Ryabkov expressed his hope that "in time, all members of the international community will finally realize the need for a wider and equal dialogue between missile-significant states".