Australia did not provide clarification on the nature of the AUKUS partnership at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This was stated by the Permanent Representatives of Russia and China to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov and Wang Qun.

Diplomats of the Russian Federation and China held a special press conference in the Austrian capital after a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, where the issue of AUKUS was also considered, within the framework of which Australia, which does not possess nuclear technologies, should receive from its partners in a new alliance - the United States and the United Kingdom - technologies for construction of nuclear submarines.

Thus, Mikhail Ulyanov said that Moscow and Beijing cannot understand the nature of the new alliance of the Anglosphere countries.

“We want to better understand what is at stake.

We do not understand the nature of this initiative.

It is impossible to draw conclusions or make an assessment without additional information, ”the Russian diplomat noted.

He added that the silence of the AUKUS members regarding the details of the partnership suggests that "they just don't have the answers."

Ulyanov also stressed that the representatives of the Australian side "could not say anything intelligible."

“Russia and China see nuclear non-proliferation as one of their priorities.

AUKUS challenges conventional nonproliferation beliefs.

This is something completely new.

De facto, we are talking about the distribution of highly enriched uranium, "- quotes the words of Ulyanov TASS.

In turn, the permanent representative of China, Wang Qun, said that the PRC had addressed a number of questions to the members of the new alliance.

“We have to find out whether AUKUS belongs to nuclear weapons, whether there is a transfer of nuclear materials and materials of nuclear weapons to a non-nuclear state,” the diplomat said.

Wang Qun added that if, within the framework of this partnership, nuclear materials are indeed transferred to Australia, it would violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

It is worth noting that IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said at the end of October that such actions within the framework of AUKUS could set a precedent for other non-nuclear states.

Strategic partnership

Recall that the leaders of the United States, Great Britain and Australia announced the creation of the AUKUS partnership (named after the first letters in the names of these countries in English) on September 15.

Within the framework of this association, the three states plan to deepen military and military-technical cooperation, which meets "the interests of promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

Against the backdrop of the creation of AUKUS, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the first initiative under the new alliance will be the creation of nuclear submarines for the Australian Navy.

  • Collins-class Australian Navy submarine

  • Reuters

At the same time, he clarified that Australia will independently build new submarines thanks to technologies that will be provided by the United States and Great Britain.

The creation of AUKUS sparked a diplomatic scandal between France, Australia and the United States as Canberra abandoned a major defense contract with the French Naval Group for the supply of 12 Attack class non-nuclear submarines.

At the same time, Scott Morrison argued that his country did not plan to become a nuclear power.

“To be clear, Australia is not seeking nuclear weapons or civilian nuclear capabilities.

We will continue to fulfill all our commitments in the area of ​​non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, ”said the Australian Prime Minister after the creation of AUKUS.

Morrison also stressed that the new submarines will not provoke an arms race and will not be equipped with nuclear weapons.

“Over the years, there has been an increase in the militarization of the Indo-Pacific region.

For some time now we have been observing the activation of this process.

And it started before our decision was made, ”stated Morrison.

At the same time, according to the prime minister, Australia needs submarines in order to project its presence in strategically important waters such as the South China Sea.

“Australia is cut off from the rest of the world ... We need long-range submarines that can provide access to strategically important waters,” explained Morrison.

"Threat to regional peace"

Earlier, on November 23, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States signed the first agreement under AUKUS.

Australian Defense Secretary Peter Dutton said it would provide Australia with information on naval nuclear power plants.

Later, Dutton also commented on the signing of the agreement to the media, stressing its importance.

“The agreement, for the first time in history, will allow Australia to participate in the exchange of information on nuclear powered systems.

This is a significant achievement and the next step in the implementation of the submarine deal and other deals within the framework of AUKUS, which is very important, "the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

  • Australian Defense Secretary Peter Dutton signs first AUKUS agreement

  • AFP

  • © Kym Smith

Meanwhile, the PRC Foreign Ministry said that such actions provoke an arms race in the Pacific Ocean and contradict the principle of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“China expresses acute concern about the cooperation in the field of nuclear submarines between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

This will increase friction in the region, as well as provoke an arms race, threaten regional peace and stability, and undermine international efforts in the area of ​​nuclear nonproliferation, ”said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.

He added that, according to Beijing, the AUKUS member countries have ignored international rules by concluding an agreement on the nuclear submarine.

Experts, in turn, call the concern of the Russian Federation and the PRC about the AUKUS alliance quite justified.

According to Andrey Sidorov, head of the Department of International Organizations and World Political Processes at the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University, "the goals of this organization are not transparent."

From his point of view, the wording with which the AUKUS was formed are "very vague" from the point of view of international law and the protocol of relations between states.

“This format is significantly different from the accepted forms of international organizations, including military ones.

There is no charter, organizational structure, clear obligations of the parties.

This suggests that if the geopolitical situation changes, the goals and objectives of AUKUS can be quickly reformatted, "Sidorov explained in a conversation with RT.

In his opinion, with the help of AUKUS, the USA, Australia and Great Britain are creating a new geopolitical contour of containment around China and Russia.

"The strategy of the collective West, led by the United States, is aimed at restoring the structure of the Cold War, creating a containment perimeter around Russia and China, depleting their resources and changing their political regime," Sidorov said.

Alexander Domrin, professor at the HSE Faculty of Law, for his part, stressed that Australia could not present a clear position on the issues addressed to it at the IAEA meeting, since it is not a leading partner in AUKUS.

“Australia is not the initiator of the formation of AUKUS, therefore, it could not sufficiently convincingly comment on the reasons for the creation of this organization.

All questions should be directed to the United States, which needs this structure, first of all, to confront the PRC, "Domrin said.

He also does not consider the assurances of the Australian authorities about the country's nuclear potential sufficiently convincing.

“I would not trust the statements of the Australian prime minister.

According to the plan presented, Canberra will build nuclear submarines only by 2027.

And it is not very clear what AUKUS will become by this moment, ”the expert concluded.