Kazakh Foreign Ministry hosts conference on fostering cooperation between nuclear-weapon-free zones
A conference themed as “Fostering Cooperation and Enhancing Consultation: Mechanisms among the existing nuclear-weapons-free zones” was held in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan jointly with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the press service of the Kazakh MFA reported Aug 27.
UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Akan Rakhmetullin and anti-nuclear activist Karipbek Kuyukov attended the opening ceremony.
Among the participants were diplomats from states parties and secretariats of nuclear-weapon-free zones (currently such zones have been created in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific region, Central Asia, and Mongolia), representatives of the UN and regional organizations. Delegations from the P5 member states, as well as international non-governmental and academic organizations involved in nuclear disarmament issues, participate as observers.
The event is planned to discuss measures to further deepen cooperation between nuclear-weapon-free zones and interaction with other UN disarmament platforms in order to strengthen the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
The conference was held on the occasion of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, commemorated in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution annually on August 29 – the day when the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site was closed 33 years ago.
