Russian Mission to the UN in Geneva comments on G|O's CERN exclusive investigation
In response to a request from TASS, Russia's official news agency, the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, commented today (March 19) on The G|O's February 22 exclusive investigation regarding the termination of cooperation between Russia and CERN.
Below is the full verbatim response provided to TASS by the Russian Federation Mission in Geneva.
"The decision not to extend the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on scientific and technical cooperation in the field of high-energy physics and other areas of mutual interest was unilaterally adopted by the CERN Council on December 15, 2023. The decision was meant to oblige the political ambitions of certain Russophobic member states of the Organization.
This unprecedented step of the CERN Council does not reflect the opinion of scientists from other countries who closely work with their Russian colleagues in CERN experiment collaborations.
The Council's decision is the logical conclusion of the restrictive measures introduced by CERN against our country and Russian scientific groups representing national research organizations since June 2022. In particular, Russia's observer status in the Council was suspended and its participation in new experiments was halted. Research made by Russian authors is published anonymously in CERN publications, without references to Russian institutes and universities.
Until the Agreement expires in November 2024, Russian specialists will continue their research activities as part of ongoing experiments in CERN collaborations. Currently, about 20 scientists from Russian research organizations participate in the said projects in person. Russian scientific groups come to CERN for short-term visits to participate in sessions on data collection, processing, as well as to conduct operational work to ensure the functionality of the research infrastructure. The scope of participation in CERN experiments is defined by the Agreement on scientific and technical cooperation. The work of Russian scientists in CERN experimental collaborations is facilitated by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
As for Russia's contribution to CERN's activities, our country has not renounced its financial obligations and is systematically making payments to the Organization's budget, despite the unprecedented restrictive measures against Russia."
Philippe Mottaz