Statement by Belarusian Delegation at the UN Conference on Disarmament (24.01.2017)
24.01.2017The Republic of Belarus supports the need for the resumption of substantive work of the Conference. We call upon all members of the Conference to join efforts to move forward.
Our joint efforts in the CD, as well as on other disarmament fora, should not lead to further degradation of international security and disarmament system. These processes must be stopped, and it is better — to contribute to the strengthening of the system of international security and disarmament.
Today expectations of progress in this matter are very mild, and hope — cautious. Cautious optimism is inspired by the cycling nature of history. Many of us, I am sure, keep a glimmer of hope that the cycle of tension between the states again, as 25 — 30 years ago, replaced by a détente.
In the early 1990s the Republic of Belarus without any preconditions and reservations renounced possession of military nuclear capabilities, expressed its commitment to peace and security and, in fact, set the tone for the subsequent processes in the field of nuclear disarmament in the post-Soviet space.
26th November 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the complete withdrawal of nuclear weapons from the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Belarus remains committed to the process of full and complete nuclear disarmament and fully implements the commitments under NPT and the IAEA safeguards agreement.
Twenty years ago, with practical steps on nuclear disarmament we hoped to maintain the dynamics of the disarmament process, which in the nineties of the last century inspired hopes of a more secure world. Both then and now, we stick to a consistent and realistic approach to nuclear disarmament. In our view, it remains the only possible way to achieve step by step, tangible progress to build more secure world.
A lot of questions remain unresolved. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which opening for signature was coincident with completed withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Belarus territory, still is not in force. There is no progress in the development of the international agreement relating to the prohibition of the production of fissile materials. There are no negotiations on drafting of the negative security assurances treaty.
In connection with the convening in 2017 in New York the United Nations conference to agree on a legally binding instrument to ban nuclear weapons, which would lead to the total elimination of these weapons, there are some concerns about the future of the existing nuclear systems disarmament, based on the NPT.
In our opinion, none of such instruments should not undermine either the NPT or the mandate of the Conference to reach agreement on an international convention prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons and the threat of its use under any circumstances. Participation of all nuclear-weapon states, in particular the United Nations Security Council members, in nuclear disarmament negotiations would contribute to the real progress in the negotiation process.
Conference can and must respond to other challenges and threats facing the international community. Militarization and arms race in outer space, the new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons, radiological weapons remain relevant issues.
The conference can contribute to full and complete disarmament in the issues of a hybrid nature, being at the crossroads of disarmament, non-proliferation and counter-terrorism. We believe that the development of the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of chemical and biological terrorism is also a feasible task for the Conference, able to help to find compromises on other issues.
Going back to the events of the late 1980s — early 1990s, it should be noted that at that time the international community in the face of fierce ideological confrontation found ways to reduce tensions in the international security system. We believe that we should now go even further, taking as a common ideology the need to build a more secure world for all.
