On September 13, 2016 a group of members of the Russian International Affairs Council met in Moscow with Ambassador Susanne Baumann, Deputy Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control. The participants discussed recent proposals of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the need to conclude a new European arms control agreement in order to avoid a new arms race between Russia and NATO.
On September 13, 2016 a group of members of the Russian International Affairs Council met in Moscow with Ambassador Susanne Baumann, Deputy Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control.
The meeting was attended by Yevgeny Buzhinsky, RIAC member, Chairman of PIR Center, Lieutenant-General (retired); Andrey Zagorsky, Head of the Department for Disarmament and Conflict Resolution Studies of the Center for International Security at RAS IMEMO; Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General; Vadim Kozyulin, Program Director of the PIR Center Conventional Arms, as well as diplomats of the Embassy of Germany in Russia and German Foreign Ministry officials. Head of the Political Department of the German Embassy to RF Hubert Knirsch moderated the meeting.
The participants discussed recent proposals of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the need to conclude a new European arms control agreement in order to avoid a new arms race between Russia and NATO.
German proposals, put forward in August 2016, suggest resumption of the ability to control arms, including the regions with a controversial territorial status. Besides, this agreement should cover new weapons systems, as well as determine regional caps on armaments and the minimum distance between them. The German proposal also suggests taking into account new military capabilities and the evolution of Russian and Western military doctrines.
