MINSK, 8 April (BelTA) – The Belarusian side welcomes the signing of the Russia-US new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) and views it as a serious contribution to strengthening the global security and peace, Head of the Information Department, Spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Andrei Savinykh voiced the statement of the Belarus Foreign Ministry at a briefing on 8 April. “We count on the Russian and American sides to take every effort in elaborating efficient measures aimed at further reduction of offensive arms which would help make the process of nuclear disarmament irreversible and multilateral. Further successes in nuclear security enhancement will largely depend on the collective efforts of all interested parties. We really appreciate the recognition of the contribution of the Republic of Belarus in the disarmament and non-proliferation process in the preamble of the new treaty. Belarus was one of the first who refused to stockpile nuclear weapons and has been so far a many-year responsible participant of the 1991 Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms,” the statement runs. The statement stresses: “We hope Russia and the US will stay committed to the security guarantees fixed in the 1994 Budapest Memorandums that were also confirmed in the joint Russian-American statement of 4 December 2009. Taking into consideration that unique experience Belarus has gained during the implementation of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty as well as other international agreements on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation we count on the continuation of a political dialogue and cooperation on the issue”.

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