Press Statement and Answers to Journalists Questions Following a Meeting of the Russia-NATO Council.Part 4
April 4, 2008
Bucharest
Заявление для прессы и ответы на вопросы журналистов по итогам заседания Совета Россия-НАТО
4 апреля 2008 года
Бухарест
QUESTION: Mr President, was the issue of Iran raised at the summit? Did you discuss whether there should be pressure put on Iran? Can you tell us anything on this subject?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: If I understand you correctly, we are talking about the Iranian nuclear programme, and of the concerns of some of it neighbours, including the countries of the Persian Gulf. What can I say? Russia has worked very constructively with the international community within the framework of the UN Security Council on the Iranian nuclear issue. At the same time, we fully intend to fulfill our contractual obligations to our Iranian partners with regards to developing their nuclear programmes for peaceful purposes. As you know, this means supplying nuclear fuel. But we are keeping in mind all of the concerns of the international community regarding Iran's military programmes, and thus far we have worked constructively with all parties to this process, right up until the UN Security Council's resolution. Here, the important thing is our unity on this issue. We are ready to continue to work in a similar vein. By this I mean ensuring the legitimate interests of Iran in the development of high technology and alleviating the concerns of the international community about non-proliferation.
QUESTION: Vladimir Vladimirovich, I want to ask a question on behalf of the Romanian press. One often hears about the possible recurrence of the Cold War. Do you think that this is possible?
VLADIMIR PUTIN: No, I think that it is impossible. No one wants that. But there are perhaps some forces who want to muddy the water a little, and to catch some fish in these troubled waters. But among the global players, neither Europe nor the United States nor Russia is interested in turning the clock back. There is no need to. Let me point out that there are no ideological schisms or divisions in Europe today. In the grand scheme of things there is nothing to divide us. If we say that we have some concerns, we would like to be listened to and to resolve together the problems that arise.
Many say that Russia is being unaccommodating. And why should we be accommodating on the issues of threats to our national security? It wasn't us who withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. And that initiated the slow destruction of the system of international relations in the security sphere built up over the last decade.
They said to us: you suspended the CFE [Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe]. But you didn't even ratify it! All around the world they know it. Do you know, for example, that the Baltic countries are not party to the Treaty? Do members of the press have an idea of what this means in practice? This means that, according to the old version of the Treaty, all the Baltic states are in the Baltic Military District of the Soviet Union, and that I should appoint district commanders there. But this is nonsense after all. This flies in the face of reality. Russia is the only country that according to the CFE has assumed purely colonial obligations and limited the number of its own troops on its own territory. Moreover, we have assumed such commitments, signed them, ratified them, and our partners have not even deigned to do so.
And they call upon us to continue to unilaterally enforce these agreements, which are supposedly linked to the Istanbul agreements. First, take the text and read it: there is no reference in the CFE Treaty to the Istanbul agreements, there is no legal link. And even if we assume that there is such a link, look at what is written in the Istanbul agreements. It says there that in Georgia we should withdraw from two bases, and agree on two other bases. We withdrew from two, and agreed on the other two from which we are planning to withdraw. We complied in full. With regard to Transdniestria: what does the Treaty say? That we should remove or destroy all heavy weapons on the ground. That is what we did: destroyed on the spot or removed all heavy weapons. This was confirmed by international experts. What else? So come on, folks, let's try to get along and have a genuine dialogue. Treat us properly and we will respond accordingly. But today I thought that our partners were listening. And there is an interest in either ratifying something that has already been ratified, or coming to some sort of new agreement, or changing something. We have to do something, we have to get to work! But as you know, to do everything unilaterally, to try to put all the blame on one side, that is a dead-end.
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nu scto ruskie, cio chechniu neotpustili??? pocemu v gruziu papiorli??? pazemu obhaziju ozvabadili? pocemu chechniu neosvobodili? a putinu dalbajobu ir ruskim pridurkam, rusia eto cccp prav katoraja prinimala, tak sto russia to ccr i necego tut dalbajobami kidaca, ruski ne!!! pribaltika nato i evrosajusu vsio gavarit kakie vi piderasti ir prostitutke po bazaru, etop rasirenie ne protiv rosiji, potomu sto ruskie pidorasi nenopali na ukrainu kak napali na gruziju. cocy xyu ruki lox v zopu
lietuvis1984 3 months ago
ruskie pidorasi, abxazija? cacnnia? vis uski jibamni
lietuvis1984 3 months ago
путло - ёбаное говно.
Article29and31 8 months ago
vozimi svoih ruskih iz MOLDOVA
MrGicu89 8 months ago
путин молодец!!
gutaraDJEK 9 months ago
Слава Путину! Слава России! Вместе мы сила!
7skkz 9 months ago
LONG LIVE NATO!!!
TheKing2033 10 months ago
Fuck NATO!
Russia294 1 year ago