MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Russia and Belarus oppose the deployment of any weapons in outer space and will counter policies aimed at the militarization of space, the two countries said in a joint statement at the First Committee of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

"We oppose the deployment of any weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against space objects or by means of them, attempts by certain countries to use outer space for the purposes of armed confrontation, including as part of implementing the United States’ Golden Dome project, which features the development and deployment of space-based interceptors," the document reads.

"We highlight the serious negative consequences of such steps and will counter policies aimed at achieving military superiority in outer space and officially describing it as an area for combat operations," the two countries added.

Russia and Belarus also reiterated the need for the early launch of international talks to develop a legally binding multilateral instrument to prevent "an arms race in space and ban the deployment of any weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force" against space objects or by means of them. "We call for a global international initiative/political commitment on the no-first-placement of weapons in outer space," the statement noted.