MOSCOW. July 24 (Interfax) - The Russian Concept for Security in the Persian Gulf includes a package of measures of security, confidence and control for the countries in that region and the extra-regional forces.
"As for the situation in the Persian Gulf area, the countries, which are situated in this region, and the extra-regional sides confirm the entire set of their international legal commitments, in particular, the refusal from the use of force and from the threat to use force to settle disputes, honoring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries in the sub-region, adherence to the settlement of territorial and border disputes exclusively through talks or using other peaceful methods, and implementing their international commitments in good faith," according to the Concept published on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
Moscow also proposes taking up "mutual commitments of transparency in the military field (the dialogue on military doctrines, sub-regional meetings between the defense ministers, setting up hotlines, the exchange of preliminary notifications about holding military drills and flights of military aircraft, exchange of observers, and the refusal from permanent deployment of the military groups of the extra-regional countries in the territory of the Persian Gulf countries, and sharing the information on the purchases of weapons and armed forces)."
The concept also contains an initiative to conclude "arms control agreements, which, for instance, imply the creation of demilitarized zones, a ban on destabilizing stockpiling of conventional weapons, including missile defense weapons, and the well-balanced reduction of the armed forces by all sides."
This concept will also envisage certain steps seeking to turn the region into an area free of weapons of mass destruction and the conclusion of an agreement for the fight against international terrorism, weapons smuggling, migration, drug trafficking, and organized crime.
"As long as the system of security is being built, it would be necessary to begin the discussion on reducing the foreign military presence in the region and working out joint confidence-building measures between regional and other countries," according to the concept.