Musings from the East

Sreeram Yashasvi, from the United Nations Disarmament and International Security Council (DISEC), indulges in a dialogue with the Delegate of the Russian Federation.

Reporter: What is your stance on the allegations levelled by the Delegate of Germany regarding your alleged presence in the Aral Sea?

Delegate of Russia: The Delegate denies any and all allegations against a research facility in the Aral Sea as put forth by the Delegate of Federal Republic of Germany. The Delegate further reiterates that even when this facility was active, back in the day of the then President Boris Yeltsin, it was just a test facility. And further states that the facility was shut down after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Reporter: Russia has vetoed an inspection in the Security Council (SC) before. What was the motive behind that? Can the international community trust the Russian Federation to put the common interests above its own, when the time comes?

Delegate of Russia: Yes. The Russian Federation did block an inspection because according to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), all possible evidences have to be submitted for an inspection and in that particular case, the evidence was not in order.

Yes, as and when the time comes, the Russian Federation will be ready to put the common interests above its own.

Reporter: Does Russia still stand by its classification on principle (of new and unconventional weapons), after the apprehensions raised by the Delegate of the Federal Republic of Germany?

Delegate of Russia: Yes. The Delegate still stands by a definition by principle, because the international community has still not been able to agree upon a definition of what an ‘Unconventional Weapon’ is and therefore it is impossible to address this issue if there is no common yardstick to categorize weapons. And the dynamic nature of weapon research makes it harder to define these weapons based on their types.

Reporter: Do you think having Mr. Edward Snowden in your country will have any implications during your negotiations involving the U.S.A.? If yes, how do you plan to address them?

Delegate of Russia: First of all, when Edward Snowden applied for asylum in the Russia, he was treated just like any other asylum-seeker. The fact that he was wanted for espionage in the U.S.A did not affect our judgment. This action is completely under Russia’s jurisdiction.

No, the presence of Snowden in Russia will not make difference in negotiations involving U.S.A.