Moscow:
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned of a new arms race if it fails to reach an accord with the West on the missile shield in Europe.
"We are facing the following alternative in the next 10 years: either we reach an agreement on missile defence and create a fully-fledged joint mechanism of cooperation, or if we fail to do so, a new round of arms race will start, and we will have to adopt decisions on the deployment of new strategic weapons," Medvedev declared in his annual state of the nation address.
At a recent NATO-Russia summit in Lisbon, the two parties agreed to formulate terms for missile defence cooperation by June 2011 as Moscow sees deployment of NATO missile-defence systems close to its borders as a security threat and destroy the strategic balance of forces in Europe.
Addressing the members of the two Houses of the Russian parliament and the government in ornate St. George's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Medvedev underscored: "The proposed European missile defence network must guarantee the security of all countries on the continent".
At the Lisbon summit on November 20, Medvedev had expressed Russia's readiness to participate in a joint missile defence shield in Europe only on principles of equality and equal responsibility.
After the Lisbon summit, Moscow's daily Kommersant had reported that Medvedev had offered to use its national systems to protect Europe from missile attack from the east and south in exchange for the protection of Russian territory from a missile attacks from the West.
Experts believe that Moscow's 'just' demand does not fit into the Pentagon's thinking, which views European missile shield as an instrument to cripple Russia's second nuclear strike capability in case of a nuclear attack.
Medvedev said Russia is to spend 20 trillion roubles (1 US dollar equals to 31 roubles) on the defence research and technologies as the normal development of the state and society was impossible without ensuring effective security and defence.
"Today we face the fundamental task of creating a new hi-tech mobile army. We are going to spend over 20 trillion roubles aimed at this," Medvedev told the Kremlin gathering, also attended by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
He said this was a huge amount and would be effective if dual use technologies were evolved in the course of defence research and development.
Medvedev announced that like in many other countries, a special organisation will be set up for search and development of cutting edge defence technologies in the country.
"We have adopted the course of deep modernisation of the Armed Forces and conducting significant systemic transformations in them. Under the state programme of rearmament till 2020, the Armed Forces are being equipped with new modern weapons," the Russian President said.
He announced that in 2011, Russia will boost its aerospace defence by integrating its existing air defence, anti-missile defence, early missile-attack warning and space control systems under single strategic command.
"We are facing the following alternative in the next 10 years: either we reach an agreement on missile defence and create a fully-fledged joint mechanism of cooperation, or if we fail to do so, a new round of arms race will start, and we will have to adopt decisions on the deployment of new strategic weapons," Medvedev declared in his annual state of the nation address.
At a recent NATO-Russia summit in Lisbon, the two parties agreed to formulate terms for missile defence cooperation by June 2011 as Moscow sees deployment of NATO missile-defence systems close to its borders as a security threat and destroy the strategic balance of forces in Europe.
Addressing the members of the two Houses of the Russian parliament and the government in ornate St. George's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Medvedev underscored: "The proposed European missile defence network must guarantee the security of all countries on the continent".
At the Lisbon summit on November 20, Medvedev had expressed Russia's readiness to participate in a joint missile defence shield in Europe only on principles of equality and equal responsibility.
After the Lisbon summit, Moscow's daily Kommersant had reported that Medvedev had offered to use its national systems to protect Europe from missile attack from the east and south in exchange for the protection of Russian territory from a missile attacks from the West.
Experts believe that Moscow's 'just' demand does not fit into the Pentagon's thinking, which views European missile shield as an instrument to cripple Russia's second nuclear strike capability in case of a nuclear attack.
Medvedev said Russia is to spend 20 trillion roubles (1 US dollar equals to 31 roubles) on the defence research and technologies as the normal development of the state and society was impossible without ensuring effective security and defence.
"Today we face the fundamental task of creating a new hi-tech mobile army. We are going to spend over 20 trillion roubles aimed at this," Medvedev told the Kremlin gathering, also attended by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
He said this was a huge amount and would be effective if dual use technologies were evolved in the course of defence research and development.
Medvedev announced that like in many other countries, a special organisation will be set up for search and development of cutting edge defence technologies in the country.
"We have adopted the course of deep modernisation of the Armed Forces and conducting significant systemic transformations in them. Under the state programme of rearmament till 2020, the Armed Forces are being equipped with new modern weapons," the Russian President said.
He announced that in 2011, Russia will boost its aerospace defence by integrating its existing air defence, anti-missile defence, early missile-attack warning and space control systems under single strategic command.
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