Right of reply by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy in the First Committee of the 75th session of UNGA on cluster 7 "Disarmament machinery"
I would like to react to a number of baseless accusations addressed to the Russian Federation by a number of Western delegations in their explanations of vote on a Russian draft resolution “Strengthening and Developing the System Treaties and Agreements on Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation” that took place at the session of the First Committee on 9 November, 2020.
Western colleagues again used the tactic of twisting and falsifying facts that they traditionally employ when they want to make Russia responsible for steps Washington makes to dismantle the entire international legal ACDN architecture. However, everyone is aware that the United States unilaterally withdrew from the ABM Treaty, the INF Treaty, the JCPOA, it is seceding from the Open Skies Treaty, refused to ratify the CTBT and the Adapted CFE Treaty, declined the invitation to work on creating a WMD-free zone in the Middle East. Washington has still not implemented its obligations under the CWC, it blocks the negotiations on the legally binding Protocol to the BTWC, violates the NPT by launching “joint nuclear missions” with its NATO allies. The US Administration has announced its intention to deploy arms in space and use the outer space as an area for combat operations, which runs counter to the goal of preventing arms race in space. The US has no right to evaluate the level of other states’ compliance with arms control agreements. Every international mechanism in this area has its own system of control and monitoring of effective commitments. In some cases, specialized international organizations are established to this end.
Washington’s aspiration to assume the function of a global arbiter is not supported by any international legal basis, and cannot serve as an argument for any conclusions, to say nothing of accusations addressed to sovereign states that are entitled to the very same rights in international organizations as the United States itself.
Thank you.
