Press Conference following the end of the G8 Summit.Part 2
June 8, 2007
Heiligendamm
Пресс-конференция по завершении встречи глав государств и правительств «Группы восьми».Part 2
8 июня 2007 года
Хайлигендамм
QUESTION (Associated Press): Mr President, you already spoke briefly about your initiative to establish a joint Russian-American radar station at Gabala. Could you explain where, according to your plan, would the interceptor missiles be based? And would your plan not lead to a deterioration in Russias relations with Iran?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: My initiative and the proposals I made to our American partners go far beyond just setting up a radar station at Gabala. It seems to me I set these proposals out in quite some detail yesterday, but I am willing to go over them again if necessary. We do not need to build a radar station at Gabala the station is already there and was built during the Soviet period. This is the whole point, and I do not think the idea would lead to a worsening in our relations with Iran because the station is already operating and has been operating for a long time now.
What is the basis and substance of our proposals? Our position is that our American partners withdrawal from the ABM Treaty, which took place several years ago, was a serious mistake and will, as we said on earlier occasions, lead to destabilisation in international security. We said from the outset that we will not develop expensive weapons systems, but that the need to maintain the global strategic balance will oblige us to work on ways of penetrating a missile defence system. Our American colleagues responded by saying that this was alright because we are friends now, not enemies, and they said we could do as we please. Over these last years then we have developed just such a system for getting through missile defence systems. We already had this technology and have been working on improving it. But when we heard that these missile defence systems would be located in close proximity to our borders and would be supposedly targeting Iranian missiles that do not actually exist, we felt understandable concern. I draw to your attention the fact that it is not we, but our American friends who plan to develop missile defences against missiles that do not exist. There are no such missiles. Irans missiles have a range of 1,400 kilometres, but it would take missiles with a range of 4,500-5,000 kilometres to reach Europes southern borders, and Iran does not even have plans to manufacture such missiles at this point. That is one point. And there is another point. I would not be so quick to suspect the intentions of our neighbours, and Iran is one of Russias neighbours. As one of the Iranian leaders said, Iran has no plans to attack Europe.
This is a matter of concern for Russia, understandably so, given that these plans constitute a threat to our own nuclear arsenal. Do you know where the danger of implementing such plans lies? If one side is under the illusion that it is protected from the risk of counter-strikes, the potential for aggressive action increases, and this could lead to serious conflict. I am saying this in general, not with any personal motives or designs.
Since the Second World War, peace in the world has been maintained through the strategic balance of forces. Upsetting this balance threatens international peace. As soon as we heard that two systems a radar station in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland were to be deployed close to our borders, our military experts began calculating the consequences for our country. We are convinced that this would negatively affect Russias security and that of our citizens, and this forces us to think about steps we can take in response.
I stress this point that this is not a Russian initiative; these are counter-measures. What kind of counter-measures could we take? The prime concern, of course, is to neutralise the threats that arise for Russia, and this is why I say that yes, it seems we will have to target our missiles at these facilities. Such a step should not be seen as a surprise. It would be better not to provoke Russia into taking such action in the first place.
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Gabala lease contract is over in 2012.Oil rich Azerbaijan doesn't need Russsia's 7 million annual lease revenue.We need Russia to stop military support of armenian occupants in nagorno KARABAKH !!!!!
TheBuffaloeye 1 year ago
I meant to say: Putin hold Russia BACK from moving forward with the rest of the world.
One1Steven 1 year ago
Most civilized countries in the world toward a better life and not to be misunderstood I said CIVILIZED COUNTRIES. Why is the Russian govmt always working against democracy and want to fight somebody? Putin is one paranoid man and still lives in the passed with his old communist mentality and the ordinary Russians will never be totally free and democratic as long as the old communists still rule that country.
Putin is bad for Russia and holds the country bad.
One1Steven 1 year ago