Belarus to Participate in the First Session of NPT Review Conference Preparatory Committee

28/04/2012

From April 30 to May 11, 2012 Vienna will host the first session of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) 2015 Review Conference Preparatory Committee.

Belarusian delegation headed by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the international organizations in Vienna Valery Voronetsky will participatae in this event. Statement of the head of the Belarusian delegation within the general discussion is scheduled for April, 30.

The goal of this meeting is to assess the implementation of NPT provisions and to elaborate recommendations on substantive and procedural issues for the 2015 Review Conference. The participants are also expected to assess the implementation of the Action Plan on Nuclear Disarmament, adopted by the 2010 Review Conference. Belarus took an active part in the preparation of the Plan.

Note: The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is a cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime. The main goals of the NPT are to promote nuclear disarmament, prevention of proliferation of nuclear armaments and technologies, support of peaceful use of the nuclear energy.

The Treaty entered in force in 1970. Belarus has ratified the NPT in 1993.

The Treaty requires that review conferences be held every five years. 1995 regular Review Conference took a decision to indefinitely extend the Treaty. During 2010 Review Conference specific recommendations were adopted to implement the main NPT goals.

Belarus takes an active part in the Preparatory Committee sessions and NPT Review Conferences. As a state that was among the first to voluntary and without any preconditions renounce in mid 1990-s the possession of nuclear weapons, Belarus advocates the reduction of the nuclear weapons role in defense doctrines of the nuclear states, gradual reduction of nuclear arsenals according to the agreed timetables; legally binding guarantees by the nuclear states of the safety to the NPT member-states, that do not possess nuclear weapons, against the threat of use of nuclear weapons.

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