April 3, 2021 (presstv.com)
• In a move to avoid a new era of arms race in the outer space, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved the extension of the ‘Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes’ agreement with the United States. A Russian press service said: “The extension of the agreement meets both countries’ interests and will facilitate the effective implementation of joint space projects.”
• The treaty was originally signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and US President George H.W. Bush on June 17, 1992. The agreement as extended will be in place until the end of 2030.
• Under the agreement, world powers are not allowed to place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in outer space orbit and must avoid harmful contamination of space. Outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means, according to the document.
• US President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to establish the Space Force, calling for American “dominance in space.” Space Force also became a full member of the US intelligence community. Following suit, both Russia and China are developing similar military capabilities as they seek to field the technology and erode America’s military dominance. Moscow and Beijing have proposed a treaty that prohibits the deployment of ground-based and space-based weapons targeting satellites in the space and are pushing Washington to sign it.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved the extension of the Exploration and Use
of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, the cabinet’s press service said in a statement on Saturday.
“The agreement …on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes will be in place until December 31, 2030,” it said.
“The extension of the agreement meets both countries’ interests and will facilitate the effective implementation of joint space projects.”
The treaty was originally signed by then Russian President Boris Yeltsin and US President George W. Bush on June 17, 1992, in Washington.
Under the agreement, world powers are not allowed to place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or in the outer space and must
avoid harmful contamination of space.
The outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means, according to the document.
The administration of former US President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to establish the Space Force – the first new US military branch in 72 years – calling for his country’s “dominance in space.”
The Treaty, the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space and of the Threat or Use of Force Against Outer Space Objects (PPWT), bans deployment of “any weapons in outer space.”
The PPWT signatories may not “resort to the threat or use of force against outer space objects” or engage in activities “inconsistent” with the purpose of the treaty.
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