Thank you, Chair.
I want to put on the record that when we talk about multilateral forums and inviting others in, we have a model already, and it's NATO. The parliamentary group just had meetings in Prague. The Russians were at those meetings. They were voting on motions that were being put forward. There was shared information. Of course, they aren't part of NATO, as we all know, but there is a confluence there and there's a space created.
So I think it's important to note that this isn't that unusual to contemplate, and both of our witnesses have suggested that we should look at embracing both the EU and China as permanent observers.
We haven't talked about it yet, but you touched on it, Mr. Byers, and that is the whole issue of nuclear weapons proliferation. The idea has been put forward, and I think we'll touch on this later in our committee, that we should consider what has been done in other parts of the world, which is to have an agreement to ensure—and these would be tough but important negotiations—that the Arctic will be a nuclear-weapons-free zone. As you said, we should do things when they're quiet. Right now they're quiet. There is mutual benefit, particularly for the U.S. and Russia, in being seen as achieving something here.
I would like your comments or thoughts about pursuing this as part of our foreign policy.