Central Asian states reaffirm commitment to nuclear-free status

Foreign ministers of Central Asian countries issued a joint statement to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty. The five countries reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation on regional security, nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament.

The treaty was signed on Sept. 8, 2006, in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Semipalatinsk was formerly the site of Soviet nuclear weapons tests.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the document established the first and only nuclear-weapon-free zone located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and bordering two nuclear-weapon states — China and Russia.

The joint statement emphasized the treaty’s importance in strengthening nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament efforts, enhancing regional and international security, and promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The foreign ministers said the anniversary provided an important opportunity to reaffirm the unity of the five Central Asian states on regional security issues. The statement also addressed matters related to the global disarmament agenda.

These issues included the outcomes of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, and the current status of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

The ministers also noted the ratification of the Protocol on Negative Security Assurances and prospects for expanding cooperation with other existing and emerging nuclear-weapon-free zones.

The five countries stressed that continued coordination among them demonstrates Central Asia’s contribution to international efforts on nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament and global security.