"Russia's Foreign Ministry Pushes Back Against U.S.: Missile Launch Notification Proposal Lacks Legal Basis!"
Russia's Foreign Ministry Says U.S. Missile Launch Notification Proposal "Legally Unfounded"
In response to a call by the United States and 40 other countries urging advance notification of ballistic missile and space rocket launches, Russia’s Foreign Ministry's Department of Information and Publications stated in reply to a query from TASS that the initiative lacks legal foundation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the manner in which the proposal was put forward, asserting it contradicts the spirit of the Geneva Disarmament Negotiations Conference.
The ministry stated: “These countries have completely ignored the positions of participants in the Geneva Disarmament Negotiations, attempting to dishonestly cloak their claims—legally baseless and internally inconsistent—under the authority of the conference, and imposing them on 'all countries'.”
Russia also emphasized that it is not the target of this appeal. Moscow has already joined the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation and has established bilateral missile launch notification mechanisms with multiple countries, including the United States.
The Russian side noted that the initiative primarily targets nations without such arrangements with the United States and its allies. The document’s particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region further confirms this assessment.
Currently, the international community follows the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (Hague Code), which urges all signatories to “exercise maximum restraint in developing, testing, and deploying ballistic missiles capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction, and to reduce their stockpiles of such missiles where possible.” The document also requires participating states to provide annual information on the number and types of ballistic missiles launched, as well as exchange notifications regarding planned launches—including data on launch location and azimuth.
The Code was adopted on November 25, 2002, and has been signed by over 140 countries, including Russia.
On August 12, 41 countries issued a joint statement calling for advance notification of intercontinental ballistic missile, submarine-launched ballistic missile, and space launch vehicle launches. The document recommends issuing notifications at least 24 hours prior to launch, specifying missile type, launch time, launch area, and intended flight direction.
Signatory countries include the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Turkey, and others.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874215802672128/
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