White Paper

White Paper on the Incirlik Air Base Attack by the Russian Federation

President Dmitry Medvedev

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

Executive Summary:  In the wake of this Monday’s attack on the Turkish Incirlik air base, the Russian federation has decided to evaluate and expand upon its existing positions regarding Turkey and the Middle East.  We continue to condemn Muslim fundamentalist terrorism, both within our own borders and abroad.  Russia reaffirms its commitment to securing its nuclear stockpile and its cooperation in this regard with the United States.  In addition, we are dedicated to improving Russian-Turkish political economic relations, and Russia supports Turkey’s role as potential mediator of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Russia renews its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a means of stopping terrorism.  Russia advocates the removal of NATO soldiers and weapons from the Middle East.  We support the recent US-Syria accord, and we reiterate the importance of direct diplomatic negotiations between Israel and all Palestinian parties. 

Key Points

·      Safeguarding Nuclear Stockpile

o   Russia disputes allegations that our nuclear stockpiles are not well protected, and that loose fissile material could fall into the hands of Islamic Fundamentalist groups. It has long been the policy of the Russian government to provide the highest level of protection for our nuclear armaments. Since 1991, Russia has worked with the American Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Initiative to safeguard and dismantle its nuclear stockpile to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists. We also continue our pledge to the recent New START treaty to limit our weapon capacity, and to place increased protections on our current stockpile.

·      Muslim Fundamentalist Terrorism

o   Russia is committed to the global conflict against terrorism.  We continue to condemn terrorism in any form.  We denounce Al-Qaeda and the continuing destruction they cause in the Middle East and throughout the world.  We actively fight fundamentalist terrorists within our own borders, and support all governments in the effort to eradicate this scourge. In the wake of the Turkish attack, we continue to stress the importance of ameliorating the political and economic conditions of the citizens in the Middle East in order to fight the growth of terrorism and prevent further attacks.

·      Russian-Turkish Alliance

o   It is the policy of the Russian government to improve Russian-Turkish relations both politically and economically.  We are developing a strategic partnership with Turkey to expand trade and political relations. It is our intention to maintain our plans for the construction of two oil-pipelines, and a civilian nuclear reactor.  We believe Turkey is vital to brokering peaceful negotiations throughout the Middle East. The formation of a partnership between our two nations will help foster peace and will be beneficial to the region as a whole. 

·      NATO Expansion

o   Russia does not condone NATO expansion in Turkey, or the placement of nuclear weapons on Turkish soil.  NATO is a relic of the Cold War period and NATO’s presence in Turkey serves only to stoke the flames of radical Muslim groups, such as Al-Qaeda.  It is our policy to work towards the disbandment of this organization, and to enter into agreements with the West to promote peaceful coexistence.  Presently, Russian policy is to urge NATO members to remove troops and weapons from the Middle East.

·      Palestinian-Israeli/Syria-Israel Peace Talks

o   Russia supports direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine as vital for securing peace in the Middle East and preventing future terrorist attacks.  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the root of terrorism and fundamentalist ideology.  Russia believes direct negotiations must include all parties, Israel, the PLO in West Bank, and Hamas in Gaza.  Russia supports Turkey in its important role of mediator in negotiations between both Palestine and Israel and Syria and Israel. Their position as an impartial Middle Eastern Muslim state makes them an ideal broker between Israel and other Muslim nations.  Russia supports the recent US-Syria accord to cease funding for terrorism, and hopes that it promotes peace in the region.  We continue our membership and our support for the Quartet on the Middle East, and along with our partners the United States, the UN, and the EU, we will help to facilitate the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian people.

·      Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

o   As signatories to the NPT Russia is committed to non-proliferation and the promotion of the peaceful use of civilian nuclear power.  We will take every step to promote the treaty and to prevent a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.  It is the duty of all NPT members to prevent Al-Qaeda from attaining nuclear arms.