Nuclear-Free World Forum adopted Astana Declaration

The first day of the Nuclear-Free World Forum timed to the 20th anniversary of closure of Semipalatinsk Testing Site finished with adoption of Astana Declaration, KazTAG reports citing Kazakhstan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Kazykhanov. “There were discussions, suggestions, amendments into this important document from several delegates. I think this document will be very important for the people of Kazakhstan. I would like to announce adoption of Astana Nuclear-Free World Declaration,” he said. The text of the declaration notes that “the time is ripe for all the countries possessing nuclear weapons to make steps to fully liquidate nuclear weapons in the shortest time.” Besides, the forum participants called to nigotiate further steps to nuclear disarmament that all the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) countries adhere to, including deeper reduction of nuclear armaments of all types. Besides, the forum participants called all the countries to “ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, especially the countries that the Treaty’s entry into force depends on”. The document also provides support to creation of new nuclear-free zones that comply with objectives and principles approved by the UN Nonproliferation Commission on April 30, 1999, and “further creation of the zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, in accordance with the fundmental provisions of the agreements achieved by the countries of the region.” The forum participants called all the interested countries to ratify respective protocols to the existing nuclear-free zones in the nearest time.