Belarus, Russia reaffirm commitment to NPT

MOSCOW, 17 May (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia reaffirm their commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, reads the statement on the common foreign policy priorities of Russia and Belarus signed by Foreign Ministers Sergei Aleinik and Sergey Lavrov following the talks in Moscow on 17 May, BelTA has learned.

“We reaffirm our commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, contribute to its strengthening, and oppose attempts to politicize it,” the document reads. “Our countries contribute to the prevention of an arms race in outer space, seek to launch negotiations on the development of an appropriate international instrument, and promote the globalization of the initiative on the no-first-use of weapons in outer space. Belarus and Russia cooperate in biological safety, counteract military-biological activities of third countries near our borders. We coordinate actions on chemical disarmament and non-proliferation, advocate the depoliticization and restoration of the authority of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.”

The statement also notes that Minsk and Moscow are implementing the Concept of Information Security of the Union State, countering attempts to destabilize the information space. "We contribute to the prevention of conflicts in the information space, strive to create an equal and transparent interstate system of internet governance while preserving the sovereign right of states to regulate its national segments," the foreign ministers of Belarus and Russia said.