Russian, U.S. Presidents issue joint statement

PanARMENIAN.Net - President of the United States of America Barack Obama and President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev issued a joint statement by the on the Expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).



The statement reads:

"The United States of America and the Russian Federation recognize the significant contribution of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Ukraine to successful implementation of the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START) Treaty.



The value of the START Treaty was greatly enhanced when the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Ukraine removed all nuclear weapons from their territories and acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as non-nuclear-weapon states. The actions of these states have enhanced the NPT regime, had a beneficial impact on international security and strategic stability, and created favorable conditions for further steps to reduce nuclear

arsenals.



The United States of America and the Russian Federation welcome the commitment of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Ukraine to their status as non-nuclear-weapon states.



The fulfillment by these states of their obligations under the Protocol to the START Treaty of May 23, 1992, (Lisbon Protocol) and their accession to the NPT as non-nuclear-weapon states, strengthened their security, which was reflected, inter alia, in the Budapest Memoranda of December 5, 1994. In this connection, the United States of America and the Russian Federation confirm that the assurances recorded in the Budapest Memoranda will remain in effect after

December 4, 2009."