Interfax: Russia rebukes NATO for wasting time in European arms control talks

(Interfax – Moscow, February 2, 2014) Russia has been waiting for two years for proposals from NATO on conventional arms control in Europe and further delay will reduce the chances of any possible talks being successful, Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Security and Disarmament Department, has said.

“As far as we know the alliance is currently trying to work out a new consolidated position. That is normal in theory and the allies are entitled to do this when dealing with military-political issues. But there needs to be some kind of sensible timeframe. The longer the delay, the less likely is success,” he said in an interview with Interfax.

NATO “promised to put forward its ideas in early 2012”, the diplomat said. “We’re still waiting.”

Ulyanov recalled that in 2007 Russia suspended the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe [CFE]. “The suspension was, incidentally, a forced measure and quite simply we were pushed into doing it. Our! NATO partners badly miscalculated: for some reason they were sure that Russia really needed the treaty and that that could be used for making endless demands of us that had nothing to do with ratifying the amended treaty,” Ulyanov said.

The USA responded to Russia’s offer of talks on the issue four months after the treaty was put on hold, he said. “But the Europeans, who call the CFE treaty the cornerstone of Europe’s security, preferred to let the talking about it be between Russia and the USA. That is, they removed themselves, and that of course raises major issues.”

There were several rounds of Russian-American consultations on the CFE treaty “but then the Americans lost interest, although it was possible to untangle the issue”.

“After a while our partners in NATO made a fresh attempt and in 2010 and early 2011 there were 10 rounds of consultations in the 36 format (the 30 original signatories to CFE plus the six new members of NATO). But they again st! arted setting preliminary conditions for Russia and the talks again went nowhere,” Ulyanov said.

“The road to conventional arms control in Europe has proven very difficult and remains so,” the diplomat commented.

“There is a good chance that it can be revived. But it has to be not in the form of the previous CFE treaty or an amended version of it but a properly new regime that is appropriate to today’s realities. Russia is ready to take part in drafting it,” Ulyanov said.