MINSK, 4 January (BelTA) – Belarus fully supports the joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear-weapons states on preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races, Press Secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Glaz told BelTA.
"The five nuclear-weapons states have essentially reached a consensus that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and that it should never be unleashed. Given the turbulence in the international relations and serious contradictions between the states, this is a very important fact. We appreciate the large-scale work carried out by our Russian colleagues who initiated this document," said Anatoly Glaz.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed and expressed full support for this statement. “Among other things Belarus welcomes the call for constructive dialogue and joint work to reduce military confrontation, build up trust and prevent the arms race in order to create a favorable environment for making progress in disarmament and, ultimately, for building a world free of nuclear weapons,” the spokesman said.
Anatoly Glaz recalled that Belarus was the first country in the former Soviet Union to voluntarily give up possession of nuclear weapons. In late November 2021 the country marked 25 years since the last missile with a nuclear warhead was withdrawn from its territory.
“We expect that the joint efforts of the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states, along with the extension of the U.S.-Russian New START Treaty in February 2021, will be crucial for strengthening the global architecture of international security, disarmament and nonproliferation and will contribute towards success of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, which, we hope, will be held this year,” Anatoly Glaz added.
