Pakistan, Russia sign statement on ‘no first placement of weapons in outer space’

FM Qureshi and his Russian counterpart Lavrov sign the statement on the sidelines of the SCO moot in Bishkek

Pakistan and Russia on Wednesday signed a joint statement on ‘no first placement of weapons in outer space’ in Kyrgyzstan, said a statement by the Foreign Office (FO).

The joint statement was signed by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting.

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“Outer space is being used by an increasing number of States. Pakistan has been consistently highlighting the risks of weaponisation of outer space, which threaten the long term sustainability of peaceful space activities,” said the joint statement.

“The use of force against space-based objects, the development and deployment of anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems and their integration into space assets have added worrying dimensions to the issues relating to outer space.”

It insisted that “there is an urgent need to address gaps in the international legal regime governing the exploration and use of outer space with a view to ensuring that no one threatens peaceful activities and applications of space technologies for socio-economic development.”

“Pakistan and Russia share a common position on the prevention of arms race in outer space and work collectively in various international fora towards that goal,” said the statement.

“The signing of today’s Joint Statement on no first placement of weapons in outer space is a reflection of convergence of views between the two sides.”

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Pakistan and Russia also reiterated their commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force in outer space activities, encouraging other responsible space-faring nations to follow this example.