The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan welcomes the decision of the Russian Federation and the United States of America to extend the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms signed on April 8, 2010 (New START), which remains the last international instrument between two countries in the field of nuclear disarmament.
This became possible due to the consistent efforts of Russia to extend the Treaty and will provide time for the parties to conduct comprehensive work on further control over nuclear missile weapons, considering all factors affecting international security.
The new US Administration’s agreement in principle to extend New START for another five-year period is a positive signal that inspires a hope for normalization of relations and restoration of confidence.
The extension of the Treaty demonstrates an example of responsible behavior of States, their true commitment to the process of nuclear disarmament and prevention of a dangerous arms race.
The Treaty is intended to preserve openness and predictability of the strategic relationship between the countries and to ensure the continuity of a consistent process of nuclear disarmament in accordance with Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We hope it will create the foundation for a multilateral dialogue within the initiative of the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to initiate a meeting of the leaders of the nuclear powers.
As one of the successors of the former USSR, Kazakhstan was a party to the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START I) from 1991, having signed the Lisbon Protocol to it on May 23, 1992. As part of the implementation of the provisions of the Lisbon Protocol, Kazakhstan joined the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state.
Our country’s historic decision to voluntarily renounce the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal has become the firm foundation of our unwavering course towards achieving a world free from the weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called upon the nuclear powers to take all necessary and urgent measures to save humanity from a nuclear catastrophe.
We express confidence that the entry into force of the Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons and extension of New START on the eve of the NPT Review Conference will contribute for constructive dialogue and restoring confidence towards our efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world by 2045 – the Centenary of the United Nations.
