MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Arms control instruments will continue to be needed as they could help prevent disaster scenarios that are now being discussed, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"Politics, understandably, dictates its own laws, but I am confident that arms control tools will continue to be needed and will help us avoid further escalation and further slide toward catastrophic scenarios, which are being talked about and which have also, in general, become part of the general political discourse," the diplomat said at a news conference ahead of a conference called the Primakov Readings.

According to Ryabkov, the conference shouldn’t be underestimated in the context of "unshackled, active, energetic, creative dialogue between participants from a wide range of countries."

"And in the context of ongoing attempts to ‘cancel Russia’ this alone <...> is a huge contribution to strengthening the country's position and advancing our interests," the official said.

TASS will be a media partner of the Primakov Readings in 2024.