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Source: www.mid.ru
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Department of Information and Press
119200, Moscow G-200, Smolenskaya Sennaya Pl., 32/34
Tel.: (095) 244-4119, Fax: 244-4112
e-mail: dip@mid.ru, web-address: www.mid.ru
Unofficial translation from Russian
PRESS RELEASE
1273-02-06-2005
Foreign Minister Lavrov: We have held bilateral talks with Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh. We stated the intensive development of our bilateral relations. Just now, on May 9, the Indian Prime Minister was in Moscow to attend the 60th anniversary of Victory celebrations. A few days ago the President of India's visit to Russia and talks with President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov wrapped up. Before the end of the year, we have a further series of important events: a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Commercial, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation, a visit by the Russian Prime Minister to India and a visit by the Indian Prime Minister to Russia. We also expect Indian Foreign Minister Singh to pay an official visit to Moscow before the summit at the end of this year.
We discussed our mutual engagement in international affairs, devoting special attention to the situation in Central Asia, Afghanistan, cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region as a whole and within the UN as negotiations proceed on the organization's reform.
Questions: Did Russia and India manage to persuade China to support India's proposal to enlarge the UN?
Was the situation in Central Asia, in particular in Uzbekistan, discussed?
Foreign Minister Lavrov: We today frankly discussed in the trilateral format many questions, including the reform of the UN and the Security Council. Let us not forget that the proposals on UN reform are much broader than the reform of the Security Council alone. The concern that arises at this phase stems principally from the fact that it is extremely important to find the broadest possible consensus on Security Council reform. That's what was set into the UN General Assembly resolution more than ten years ago, which initiated the process of negotiations on Security Council reform. It was then established that a decision must be adopted on the basis of broad consensus.
The fears are that if there is a vote and if the UN members split into two groups over such a serious matter, then this may have an adverse effect on the perception of the Security Council as the body that must increase its legitimacy and not lose a part of it. This is a far from easy question, for it is connected with the real changes that have occurred in the world and with the appearance of new great powers, to which belongs India, no doubt. It is also associated with the fears of a whole array of other countries that they will gain nothing in the process of reform. The negotiations are not yet over, so let us not anticipate events. We have also consented that it is necessary to use the time available for continued efforts to bring positions closer.
As to Central Asia, we have indeed discussed this situation, including the events that occurred in Uzbekistan. We consent that an investigation is necessary. We noted the decision of the parliament of Uzbekistan to establish a commission for this purpose. We shall wait for its findings. We shall study them. We consent further that it is also necessary to investigate how this situation altogether developed, how an armed group of people could intrude into Uzbekistan, seize various facilities, including a military outpost and police station, weapons, government buildings, hostages, and so on. We had information that involved in the organization of this group of persons were radical extremists from among clandestine Islamist organizations in the region - such structures as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the remnants of the Taliban and some Chechen terrorists. We are rechecking this information. We want to establish a professional dialogue with those who may also have information on this question. We took note of the fact that not so long ago the US Department of State issued a public announcement, warning of a possibility of terrorist acts in Uzbekistan and also assuming involvement of the persons I've mentioned in these events. We expect that everything that occurred there will be taken with the utmost seriousness. We cannot allow this region to be destabilized, cannot allow terrorist structures to exploit this situation to strengthen their positions here and especially come to power in that country.
June 2, 2005
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