The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is encouraged to see the steps Russia and the United States are taking to reach dialogue on arms control, as good relations between both superpowers are vital for global security and stability, the OSCE Communication and Media Relations Section told Sputnik, adding that the organization is still waiting to scrutinize the agreement on strategic stability dialogue
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2021) The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is encouraged to see the steps Russia and the United States are taking to reach dialogue on arms control, as good relations between both superpowers are vital for global security and stability, the OSCE Communication and Media Relations Section told Sputnik, adding that the organization is still waiting to scrutinize the agreement on strategic stability dialogue.
One of the highlights of the Wednesday summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, was the adoption of a joint statement on strategic stability, which reaffirmed commitment to the 1985 Gorbachev-Reagan formula that a nuclear war cannot be won. Putin noted that both Russia and the United States were responsible for the world stability as they were major nuclear superpowers. He added that both countries were set to begin consultations on the next steps to ensuring strategic stability, following the recent extension of the New START treaty.
"We are encouraged to see the United States and the Russian Federation taking steps toward dialogue around arms control and risk reduction measures," the press service said.
The group noted that Moscow and Washington had not yet announced the details of their Strategic Stability Dialogue and stressed that it needed to wait and see what it entails exactly.
"Good relations between these countries and all participating States are important for regional security organizations such as the OSCE, as multilateralism and co-operation lie at the core of the OSCE's comprehensive concept of security," the statement said.
The arms control dialogue as well as security-building measures play a vital role in encouraging greater transparency and trust among the OSCE members, it said.
"At a time when distrust between countries is growing, we need co-operation and dialogue more than ever. It is through co-operation and dialogue that we can build confidence and trust, which is essential to our common security," the statement added.
A number of analysts have compared the recent summit between Putin and Biden to the 1985 meeting between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan. At that time, the leaders did not sign any treaties but agreed on a number of major issues regarding strategic stability and security. Two years later, in 1987 in Washington, Gorbachev and Reagan signed the historic INF Treaty which went into effect on June 1, 1988. Nearly 30 years later, in 2019, then-US President Donald Trump formally pulled out of the deal, followed by Russia.
