Russia Addresses Obama, then the UN 64th General Assembly

MEDVEDEV:...I'll try to make my comments briefer because, unlike my colleague, President Barack Obama, I still have to deliver my address to the United Nations.

...Today we discussed the issue of a new START treaty

...We discussed the issue of antimissile defence. I told my colleague, Barack Obama, that we find the decision made by his administration to be very reasonable.

...I told the President of the United States that we think it necessary to help Iran make the right decision. As for various types of sanctions, Russia’s position is very simple, and I spoke about it recently. Sanctions rarely lead to productive results, but in some cases, the use of sanctions is inevitable.

What’s most important is that we have once again learned to listen to one another, which is extremely important for the future relations of our nations and future relations between our peoples.

OBAMA:  We also both agree that if Iran does not respond to serious negotiations and resolve this issue in a way that assures the international community that it's meeting its commitments, and is not developing nuclear weapons, then we will have to take additional actions and that sanctions, serious additional sanctions, remain a possibility.

We have an opportunity for a P5-plus-1 meeting with Iran in October. I hope that Iran seizes the opportunity to follow the path that both the United States and Russia would prefer in making a decision to live up to its international commitments, abandon nuclear weapons, and to fully join the international community in a way that I think will ultimately enhance the peace of the region and the prosperity of the Iranian people.

(1) The creation of the UN was one of the global community’s main achievements in the 20th century. This organisation and its fruitful work have become a symbol of the 20th century, which has no alternative. We have no right to forget that the UN possesses a unique international legitimacy. And we all must preserve and strengthen this shared wealth of the peoples of the world.

...Obama who said that no country is able or should try to dominate over other nations. This idea is absolutely correct.

(2) A painful blow was delivered to the plans to alleviate poverty. Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals is under threat. We must do our utmost to prevent this from happening.

(3) The second major task here is to address the issues of global energy security. Three years ago at the St Petersburg G8 Summit, principles of a new legal framework for such cooperation were formulated. The goal is to harmonise the interests of all participants in the energy "chain": suppliers, consumers and transit countries.

(4) Disarmament ....A highly challenging task is to move forward the process of multilateral disarmament under the auspices  of the UN....I would like to mention the Russian-Chinese initiative to sign a treaty to prevent the placement of weapons in outer space as well as our proposal to universalise the Russian-American Treaty on the Elimination of the Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles.

Russia will steadily follow the path of verifiable and irreversible reductions in nuclear weapons as an essential element of the reset in our relations with the United States. President Obama and I signed a relevant document in Moscow last July.

...The Global Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for next April will provide a good opportunity for a more detailed discussion of these issues.

  (5) We intend to continue participating in the search for efficient options for resolving regional conflicts.

We are convinced that the use of force can only aggravate the situation. This was demonstrated by a reckless attempt of the Georgian authorities to resolve the problems in their relations with South Ossetia by military means.

In August 2008, we came very close to seeing a local armed conflict grow into a full-scale war. ... irresponsible political regimes should not have any opportunity whatsoever to cause disputes among other counties.

The role and place of the modern nations in ensuring global security is one of today’s most relevant topics. We have repeatedly witnessed situations when the problems emerging within individual states take on a regional or even global character. The incompetence and inefficiency of national government institutions can provoke consequences representing a risk for many nations. Of course, the prevention of such consequences is a complex issue. But it is something that we must think over together.

  (6) ...We all share values that are rooted in the norms of morality, religions, customs and traditions. I am referring to essential concepts, such as the right to live, tolerance toward dissent, responsibility toward one's family, charity and compassion. This is the basis both for individuals’ daily lives and for relations among states.

However, we are witnessing an increase in nationalism, as well as religious intolerance and animosity. Therefore, we consider it to be extremely useful to establish a High-Level Group on Interreligious Dialogue under the UNESCO Director-General. This is especially relevant on the eve of 2010, the UN’s Year for Rapprochement of Cultures.

  (7) Next year we are going to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the end of the World War II.

Russia has made a proposal to adopt a relevant UN GA resolution and hold a special session in May of next year to commemorate all the victims of that war. We cannot allow its horrible lessons to be forgotten.