Today in Prague the United States and Russia signed a treaty on reducing their strategic nuclear arsenals. Commenting on this development, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today (8 April) issued the following statement:

”The agreement signed by President Obama and President Medvedev today in Prague is a milestone in global disarmament efforts. It shows that the two largest nuclear powers are willing to do their part when it comes to nuclear disarmament and arms control.

The signing of the treaty provides new opportunities for further disarmament steps, also concerning sub-strategic nuclear weapons, that we will take in close coordination with our Allies.

Today’s events have also set the stage for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May. Nuclear disarmament and preventing the uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons are two sides of the same coin. Prague has given us new momentum as we work towards achieving a successful outcome at the Review Conference.“