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Joint statement of five nuclear powers’ leaders initiated by Russia - diplomat

Russia expects to reduce the level of international tension after the approval of the document, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova

MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. The joint statement of the five nuclear powers - Russia, China, the UK, the US and France - on preventing a nuclear war and avoiding arms races was the initiative of Russia, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement published on Monday.

"This document was formulated on our initiative and with the most active participation of Russian representatives. Its release was supposed to coincide with the start of Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. It had been scheduled to open in New York on January 4, but was postponed due to the worsening epidemiological situation in the United States. Nevertheless, given the importance and self-sufficiency of this joint statement, the nuclear powers decided not to delay its publication," the diplomat said.

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