“The new treaty provides for a total ban on nuclear weapons, as opposed to the status quo when five countries (Russia, USA, UK, France and China), which are also permanent members of the UN Security Council, possess nuclear weapons legally. The main document regulating this sphere today, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons  obliges nuclear weapons states only to "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to nuclear disarmament,” – Andrey Baklitskiy PIR Center’s "Russia and Nuclear Nonproliferation Program" Director.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Potter! Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, member of PIR Center Advisory Board turns 70.

“Russia’s position can be seen as equally close or equi-distant from all of the countries in the Arabia. Russia is interested in maintaining quite well-balanced relations with all the actors in this new drama. I believe that our position is close to the position of the U.S. and Europe, because no one wants destabilization in the Middle East which could lead to catastrophic results», — Vitaly Naumkin, President of Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.