FM Retno Calls for Total Nuclear Disarmament at Regional Dialogue in Jakarta
Jakarta. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has called for the total disarmament of nuclear weapons at a regional dialogue on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, in Jakarta on Monday (13/03).
Indonesia and the Netherlands co-organized the meeting as part of a preliminary event prior to the 2017 Preparatory Committee Meeting, which is scheduled to take place in May.
Representatives from thirty-five NPT member countries from the Asia Pacific region attended the two-day meeting.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is an international treaty on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology around the world. Signatories of the treaty, which entered into force in 1970, have a binding commitment to achieve complete disarmament by nuclear weapon states.
Indonesia signed NPT in 1970 and later ratified it in 1979. A total of 191 countries have signed the treaty since it went into force, including five states which currently posses nuclear weapons. However, four countries widely believed to possess nuclear weapons – India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea – are not signatories of the treaty.
Retno emphasized that the discussion of establishing a convention on nuclear weapons disarmament is extremely relevant today, in a time of widespread global uncertainty.
Nuclear disarmament is especially significant in the Asia Pacific region as North Korea’s recent missile launch and the United States' push to install the anti-missile THAAD system in South Korea have heightened tensions in East Asia.
She added that the regional meeting should be taken as an example of Indonesia’s commitment to realizing a disciplined, peaceful and safe world. By hosting the event, Indonesia hopes to solidify its chances of becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
A Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on NPT occurs every five years, with the next conference scheduled for 2020. Three preparatory meetings in Vienna, Geneva and New York are also scheduled to take place prior to the review.
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