"Global Security...", "Preventing the Crisis of the Nuclear Arms Control..." — these are just a few books written by participants of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing a Nuclear Catastrophe. This is one of the few international venues where people not only talk about what should be done, they also discuss concrete steps and often behind closed doors.
The treaty with Iran, which was signed after unbelievably difficult talks, is on the brink of collapse due to the United States' unilateral withdrawal from it. It's a new dangerous potential hotbed of confrontation in the region where the Syrian war is still raging.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula may even change the whole geopolitical configuration if Japan obtains nuclear arms. And Tokyo has such a possibility, according to the Chinese media.
Viatcheslav Kantor, President of Luxembourg Forum: "If Iran obtains a nuclear bomb now, it may become a red line, that will be crossed not only by Iran but by other countries, including Japan. Each part of the world is actually split into zones of influence. Therefore, it's impossible to imagine a single country in the world where a local nuclear conflict wouldn't be joined by global players".
The Treaty on Reduction of Offensive Arms, SNV-III, between Russia and the US expires in a year. The sides struggle to reach an agreement and prolong it. Donald Trump suggests that China be involved in the talks. Paris thinks that Europe shouldn't stay away as well.
Pierre Lellouche, Honorary Member of Board of Directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative: "Europe should do more. I'm shocked that after the Americans destroyed the INF Treaty, and then the Russians gave up on it, nobody said anything. It's time Europe woke up. There's a necessity of a strategic dialog with Russia. It's our neighbor. We have common problems. It's time to stop destroying relations between us. It's nonsense".
Another declared topic is cybersecurity. Not only can attacks destroy a country's infrastructure, they also grant access to terrorist acts with the use of nuclear arms. Miscalculations, errors, mutual misunderstanding — all that can lead to irreversible consequences. The danger of nuclear catastrophe is now higher than during the Cold War, participants of the meeting are convinced. The only solution is to make sure that world powers return to dialog instead of competition.
Anastasia Popova, Ilya Bernadsky — Vesti from Geneva, Switzerland.
