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US not keen on having Russia inspect nuke tests in Nevada — diplomat

According to Sergey Ryabkov, the Russian side took note of several public statements on this matter by high-ranking American officials in various corners

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. The US has not invited Russia to inspect the nuclear tests carried out at the testing ground in Nevada, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"We took note of several public statements on this matter by high-ranking American officials in various corners," he said in an interview with the Kommersant daily. "This topic was raised by the US side behind closed doors on the margins. We don’t think that this can be seen as an official invitation."

"But even if we do receive something on this topic on paper, neither I nor my colleagues will be ready to agree with this idea and take part in these or those US events," he noted.

According to Ryabkov, these are mere channels to convey certain signals. "Bearing in mind that for a long time the United States has been unable and unwilling to do anything to ratify the CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty - TASS), it is not right to switch attention to quasi-transparency. We are not going to play along with the Americans here," he stressed.