The greeting reads, in part:
”The end of the Cold War and a climate of trust and partnership among leading global powers have pointed the way to a joint search for new forms of international security and stability. Today our common objective is to do everything possible to ensure that deadly weapons of mass destruction become a relic of the past.
Russia is making a significant contribution to the process of nuclear disarmament. The implementation of our commitments provided in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is one of our foreign policy priorities. This is a comprehensive long-term strategy aimed at a balanced and phased reduction of nuclear arsenals that will guarantee equal security for all.
Our country has chosen to proceed with nuclear disarmament via international legislation. Russia is actively cooperating with the United States in preparing a new, legally binding agreement to replace the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START). We intend to do everything necessary to guarantee the success of these talks and agree on a substantive and viable instrument that will give an additional impetus to the disarmament process.”
I am sure that a productive dialogue and joint efforts will help achieve the most important international goal, namely a secure and stable future of our planet.“
Global Zero was launched in Paris in December 2008 by more than 100 political, civic, and military leaders from around the world. They announced a plan for the phased, verified elimination of nuclear weapons, starting with deep reductions in the US and Russian arsenals, to be followed by multilateral negotiations among all nuclear powers for an agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons thus achieving ”global zero“.
The Global Zero Summit is taking place in Paris on February 2–4, 2010.