Mr. Mark Fitzpatrick and Dr. Oliver Meier visited the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) Islamabad on Thursday May 08, 2014 and delivered talks on important contemporary international Security and nuclear related Issues.
Mark Fitzpatrick is responsible for the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme, at the IISS which focuses on nuclear and missile challenges posed by Iran, North Korea and other states, and on nuclear security and nuclear disarmament.
Dr. Oliver Meier is an Associate with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. His area of research includes Arms Control and Disarmament, Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, European security, US foreign and security policy.
Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director CISS, welcomed the speakers and participants at the institute. He also raised a few questions pertaining to Mr. Mark Fitzpatrick new book and developments in Ukraine.
Mark Fitzpatrick talked about the current negotiations between P5 +1 and Iran on Iran’s nuclear program and its future and his recently published book titled Overcoming Pakistan’s Nuclear Dangers.
Discussing Iran’s nuclear negotiations, Mr. Mark Fitzpatrick said that he was hopeful of the success of these negotiations and believed that a comprehensive agreement will be reached on Iran’s nuclear issue although significant difficulties still remain. Regarding his latest book, Mr. Mark Fitzpatrick discussed about various portions of its contents for example prospects of nuclear terrorism, safety and security measures taken by Pakistan, regional nuclear arms race, nuclear normalcy and treaty issues such as FMCT and CTBT.
Dr. Oliver Meier shared his thoughts on arms control agenda post Ukraine crisis, West – Russia relations and tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. Dr. Meier was of the view that until now there have been statements regarding the revision of nuclear arms control agenda between US and Russia but no visible or concrete steps to abolish this agenda because of Ukrainian crisis. Dr. Oliver said that the present view in Europe and the West is that there will be no business as usual with Russia on foreign policy and security matters in the region after the Ukrainian fiasco. Dr. Meier further explained that US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe represent a political guarantee of US commitment to European security and are a matter of discussion with Russia with regards to its inclusion in arms control agenda.
The session was followed by an interactive question and answer session in which the audience commented and asked questions on the presentations made by the visiting scholars. Participants from Pakistan also gave their viewpoints regarding the book by Mr. Mark Fitzpatrick.
