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22Sep16


Moscow sees deployment of US interceptor missiles in Romania as INF treaty violation


The deployment of interceptor missile launchers in Romania is a violation of the Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) treaty, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryakov told Russia's Public Chamber.

"The new feature of the situation in Europe is the deployment of interceptor missile launchers at the air defense base Deveselu, in Romania. In the longer term a similar project will be implemented in Poland. The launchers are similar to those US naval ships use to launch Tomahawk intermediate range cruise missiles," he said. "The emergence of such launchers on the ground is a direct violation of the INF treaty by the United States."

"We see as a rather telling sign Washington and Brussels remain reluctant to revise their anti-missile plans in defiance of the agreements that settled tensions over the Iranian nuclear program. We will remain tightly engaged with the Europeans to promote their awareness of the inevitable undesirable consequences the US project will entail," he said.

"Russia has been and remains open for a constructive and trust-based dialog on the issue of missile defense. We are not only speaking about this, we have been acting respectively, including making proposals on concrete cooperation," the diplomat said.

NATO forces at Russian borders

According to the diplomat, deployment of NATO forces near Russia's borders would be in violation of the Founding Act on relations between NATO and Russia.

"We know about US plans to deploy additional forces in Europe close to the Russian borders, all this is sold as an initiative to bolster allies' confidence," he said. "In fact, these plans will mean a buildup of NATO's troops near our borders, and these plans are sold to us as not violating the Russia-NATO Founding Act," he went on.

However, it is planned that Alliance's units will be rotating, while hardware will stay. "Thus, the demands of the Act to refrain from deploying sizable warfare means are violated," he said.

US, NATO don't plan to find areas of common interest with Moscow

Ryabkov has stressed that the US and NATO are not planning to find areas of common interest with Moscow at the moment.

"A discussion on the military and political situation in Europe and the causes of its deterioration is being held in various formats," Ryabkov said. "We are convinced that at this stage the US and NATO don't pursue the goal of finding the real areas of common interest."

[Source: Itar Tass, Moscow, 22Sep16]

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