MINSK, 5 March (BelTA) - Having made a historic choice more than 25 years ago to renounce the possession of nuclear weapons, Belarus in fact demonstrated its commitment to the goal of universal and complete nuclear disarmament. The country continues to make efforts in this direction, Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), BelTA has learned.
“Today we have to note the loss of the dynamics of disarmament processes, not only in nuclear area, but also in other areas. The world is not becoming more stable and predictable. The lack of trust among states has created new hotbeds of confrontation and is spiraling the arms race. The problems associated with nuclear weapons and their means of delivery have worsened,” the minister said.
The termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the growing uncertainty surrounding the U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires in February 2021, the lack of progress with the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty… This is not a complete list of challenges to the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, Vladimir Makei said. “Belarus assumes that the commitment of states to negotiate nuclear disarmament enshrined in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is one of the strategic objectives of the document, and advocates a balanced and gradual step-by-step approach to the process, making it multilateral and irreversible. There is no doubt that the nuclear-weapon states should have a special role and responsibility in this matter. However, the ambitious objectives of Article 6 of the NPT - negotiations not only on nuclear disarmament but also on the Treaty on Universal and Full Disarmament under strict and effective international control - cannot be met without reducing confrontation, restoring trust and consolidated actions of all members of the international community, large and small, both nuclear and non-nuclear, without exception,” Vladimir Makei noted.
“Having made a historic choice more than 25 years ago to renounce the possession of nuclear weapons, Belarus in fact showed its commitment to the goal of universal and complete nuclear disarmament. Today we continue to make efforts in this direction. Confirmation is the initiative of the Belarusian head of state to draw up a multilateral political declaration on the non-deployment of medium and shorter-range missiles in Europe to fill the legal vacuum created after the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty,” he said.
The minister stressed Belarus' readiness to engage constructively with all states, both within the framework of the upcoming NPT review conference and other multilateral disarmament mechanisms.
On 5 March, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a solemn event to mark the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, government bodies, parliament and the expert community. The footage of the withdrawal of the last missile with a nuclear warhead from Belarus was shown during the event. It happened on 27 November 1996.
