Moscow dismissed on Tuesday U.S. allegations of its noncompliance with arms control and nonproliferation obligations.
The U.S. State Department issued a report entitled 2011 Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments on August 31, in particular finding Russia guilty of violating the chemical and biological weapons conventions.
“Available information during the reporting period indicated Russian entities have remained engaged in dual-use, biological activities,” the report said.
“It is unclear that these activities were conducted for purposes inconsistent with the BWC. It also remains unclear whether Russia has fulfilled its BWC obligations in regard to the items specified in Article I of the Convention that it inherited.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the U.S. claims were groundless, unsubstantiated, ill-informed, and biased.
It said the Americans do not cite any specific violations, only alleging that Russia engages in biological activities with potential dual-use applications.
As for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), unlike Russia, the United States has not as yet ratified it and is responsible for the fact that it has not yet entered into force, the ministry said.
“Voluntary declaration of and compliance with moratoria on nuclear tests is an important measure but it cannot replace obligations under international law,” the ministry said.
Concerning Moscow’s decision to suspend its obligations under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), Moscow had to take that step, the ministry said.
“In fact we are being accused of refusing to act to our own detriment,” the ministry said.
The United States also criticized Russia’s inability to provide a first generation duplicate negative of processed photographic film from Open Skies flights, saying “it is not in compliance with its obligations under Sections II and IV of Article IX of the Treaty on Open Skies.”