Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi during a meeting to mark and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Doha: The State of Qatar stressed the importance of implementing the legal obligations arising from international agreements in the field of nuclear disarmament and stressed the importance of the development of peaceful nuclear energy programmes in a responsible manner.
This came in the State of Qatar’s statement, read by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, during a high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to mark and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Addressing the meeting held through videoconference, Al Muraikhi said that the ongoing international dialogue on the dangers of nuclear proliferation affirms the importance that the international community attaches to eliminating the threat posed by nuclear weapons to international peace and security.
The international efforts have continued since the adoption of the first General Assembly resolution on disarmament, the document of the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, and the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which made the issue of nuclear disarmament an uncompromising international legal obligation.
Despite these efforts, the international community still aspires to achieve the desired goals of that treaty and subsequent international instruments, given the inability to define a specific time frame for nuclear disarmament and the implementation of Article VI of the treaty as a result of the insistence on possessing nuclear weapons, he added.
Al Muraikhi stressed that the State of Qatar reaffirms the importance of strict and complete commitment to all the undertakings contained in the international instruments concerned with nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, and that the humanity’s interest in freeing the planet from mass destruction weapons is considered as a guarantee of the security and future of the coming generations.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that the Middle East problem is facing increasing and varied challenges, which requires concerted efforts to defuse crises and find solutions to the existing tensions. In light of the dangers arising from the proliferation of nuclear weapons in this region which need peace and stability, there is an urgent need to clear it of nuclear weapons, as affirmed by the General Assembly resolutions, including the resolution issued by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which considered freeing the Middle East region of nuclear weapons as one of the essential pillars.
Al Muraikhi renewed the State of Qatar’s support for holding the second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East in 2021, and expressed the aspiration of the State of Qatar for the cooperation of all countries in the region in achieving this goal in the service of their peoples and in a way that enhances international peace and security.
The State of Qatar stresses the importance of implementing the legal obligations arising from international agreements in the field of nuclear disarmament, and the importance of responsible development of peaceful nuclear energy programmes and adherence to comprehensive safeguards measures to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to ensure the highest standards of safety and security in a world where nuclear proliferation is a source of great concern to all, he said.
Al Muraikhi said that the State of Qatar renews its commitment to continue working with the international group for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons in order to achieve security and stability in the world and serve all humanity.
