Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store has expressed concern about large quantities of tactical nuclear weapons stockpiled in the world, in Russia in particular.  The United States and Russia are holding talks on strategic arms and Norway hopes for their major reduction, he said on Ekho Moskvy radio on Wednesday. Such countries as Norway, Sweden, Poland and others are also concerned about the large quantities of tactical nuclear weapons.

He was commenting on a recent article by the foreign ministers of Sweden and Poland Carl Bildt and Radoslaw Sikorski in which they urged Russia to withdraw tactical nuclear arms from areas bordering on the European Union.

The Norwegian minister says that the reduction of arsenals should start with cutting this type of nuclear arms.

Europe and the rest of the world should rely less on nuclear arms and more on other, political solutions, he said. Nuclear arms cannot be got rid of overnight, of course, but it is possible to start advancing along the road of reducing such arms, he said.

Store said that the article by Bildt and Sikorski was an important reminder that tactical nuclear arms should also become a part of a comprehensive disarmament formula.

Answering the question whether Oslo is concerned about the presence of Russian nuclear arms near the Norwegian border Store said he did not think that from the Russian side the arms are aimed at Norway. The two countries are neighbors geographically and strategically, they having been living that way for many decades and have very decent relations, he said.

However, everyone will be safer, if there are less nuclear arms, Store said.

He reminded listeners that Norway supported the project of clearing the Kola peninsula of nuclear wastes that were threatening the environment. It would want to recommend Russia to assume the main responsibility for clearing wastes inherited from the Soviet Union, he said.

(kyivpost)