GENEVA - Final review and agreement of the U.N. Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which is its foundation for nuclear disarmament, was blocked by the Russian Federation due to its critical statements regarding Russia's special military operation in the sovereign nation of Ukraine.
The document is heavily critical of the Russian Federation over incidents that have been in the daily headlines, regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, reported by the Associated Press.
The final document, which needed approval from all participants targeted the spread of nuclear weapons and seeks to define a world without the threat of their destructive capability.
The Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Igor Vishnevetsky stated that the delay in the review of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was due to the fact that "unfortunately there is no consensus on this document."
He also remained persistent in stating that many nations, not only Russia, were not in agreement with many issues of the drafted document, which to date contains 36 pages in this rendition.
Gustavo Zlauvinen, the Ambassador from Argentina and also the President of the conference stated that the final draft of the document incorporated his most superb effort to address the contrast of views and expectations, which were continually evolving amongst all the parties involved, seeking "for a progressive outcome". He went on to say that we are at a strategic point in history where "our world is increasingly wracked by conflicts, and, most alarmingly the ever-growing prospect of the unthinkable nuclear war."
Afterward, he made this statement to the conference delegation:
The review, which is to be held every 5 years due to the changing global political landscape, was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation, and this particular conference symbolizes the 2nd time it has failed to present a completed document. The 1st failure was in 2015 when the conference failed to produce a Middle East without weapons of mass destruction, due to unsettled differences among its participants.
This year had there not been other outlying differences, the document would've been produced as official as the Middle East topic was not of major concern as all parties were in little disagreement over this topic.
The main concern of this conference revolved around Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin's warning that interference from outside entities would bring "consequences never seen" as Russia's nuclear forces were placed on high alert early in its campaign, showing the world of its capabilities as a "potent" nuclear world power.
Also, the occupation of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, and recent events revolving around its operational capacity due to artillery shelling and the potential risk of nuclear disaster have caused global fears, reminding the world of the 1986 disaster.
There are four references to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the document describing the artillery shelling and the aftermath thereof, as Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the incidents. The ongoing global consensus is to 'de-militarize' the area in and surrounding the nuclear power plant but neither parties are willing to commit, according to the Guardian.
After the failure presented itself, delegates began coming forward in order to express their concerns and the importance of the Nonproliferation Treaty documents to the world and to approve the NPT document.
Andrei Belousov, Russia's deputy delegate stated that the conference was a "political hostage" to other countries that were"poisoning discussions" with unneeded language about Ukraine in an attempt to "settle scores with Russia by raising issues that are not directly related to the treaty."
Belousov went on to say, "These states, namely Ukraine and the backers of the Kyiv regime, bear full responsibility for the absence of a final positive result."
U.S. Special Representative Adam Scheinman stated that the document never actually named Russia, and the document did not say enough about the situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and "failed to acknowledge what we all know to be true - that the risk of radiological disaster only exists because of Russia's war of choice."
The representative from Indonesia stated that the document was of the "utmost importance."
France's ambassador, Yann Hwang read a statement on behalf of all the countries of the European Union reaffirming Europe's support of Ukraine and denouncing Russia's "dangerous nuclear rhetoric, actions and provocative statements about raising its nuclear alert level."
Prevailing at the conference was the obvious consensus concerning Russia's demeanor was subverting international peace and the objectives of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty "by waging its illegal war of aggression against the sovereign nation of Ukraine."
The final draft document would've made it official that we are now at a higher threat than at any time during the cold war and illustrated the decay of the international security environment. It also would've committed all participants to ensure that nuclear weapons would not be used.
The document is heavily critical of the Russian Federation over incidents that have been in the daily headlines, regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, reported by the Associated Press.
The final document, which needed approval from all participants targeted the spread of nuclear weapons and seeks to define a world without the threat of their destructive capability.
The Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Igor Vishnevetsky stated that the delay in the review of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was due to the fact that "unfortunately there is no consensus on this document."
He also remained persistent in stating that many nations, not only Russia, were not in agreement with many issues of the drafted document, which to date contains 36 pages in this rendition.
Gustavo Zlauvinen, the Ambassador from Argentina and also the President of the conference stated that the final draft of the document incorporated his most superb effort to address the contrast of views and expectations, which were continually evolving amongst all the parties involved, seeking "for a progressive outcome". He went on to say that we are at a strategic point in history where "our world is increasingly wracked by conflicts, and, most alarmingly the ever-growing prospect of the unthinkable nuclear war."
Afterward, he made this statement to the conference delegation:
The review, which is to be held every 5 years due to the changing global political landscape, was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation, and this particular conference symbolizes the 2nd time it has failed to present a completed document. The 1st failure was in 2015 when the conference failed to produce a Middle East without weapons of mass destruction, due to unsettled differences among its participants.
This year had there not been other outlying differences, the document would've been produced as official as the Middle East topic was not of major concern as all parties were in little disagreement over this topic.
The main concern of this conference revolved around Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin's warning that interference from outside entities would bring "consequences never seen" as Russia's nuclear forces were placed on high alert early in its campaign, showing the world of its capabilities as a "potent" nuclear world power.
Also, the occupation of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, and recent events revolving around its operational capacity due to artillery shelling and the potential risk of nuclear disaster have caused global fears, reminding the world of the 1986 disaster.
There are four references to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the document describing the artillery shelling and the aftermath thereof, as Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the incidents. The ongoing global consensus is to 'de-militarize' the area in and surrounding the nuclear power plant but neither parties are willing to commit, according to the Guardian.
After the failure presented itself, delegates began coming forward in order to express their concerns and the importance of the Nonproliferation Treaty documents to the world and to approve the NPT document.
Andrei Belousov, Russia's deputy delegate stated that the conference was a "political hostage" to other countries that were"poisoning discussions" with unneeded language about Ukraine in an attempt to "settle scores with Russia by raising issues that are not directly related to the treaty."
Belousov went on to say, "These states, namely Ukraine and the backers of the Kyiv regime, bear full responsibility for the absence of a final positive result."
U.S. Special Representative Adam Scheinman stated that the document never actually named Russia, and the document did not say enough about the situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and "failed to acknowledge what we all know to be true - that the risk of radiological disaster only exists because of Russia's war of choice."
The representative from Indonesia stated that the document was of the "utmost importance."
France's ambassador, Yann Hwang read a statement on behalf of all the countries of the European Union reaffirming Europe's support of Ukraine and denouncing Russia's "dangerous nuclear rhetoric, actions and provocative statements about raising its nuclear alert level."
Prevailing at the conference was the obvious consensus concerning Russia's demeanor was subverting international peace and the objectives of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty "by waging its illegal war of aggression against the sovereign nation of Ukraine."
The final draft document would've made it official that we are now at a higher threat than at any time during the cold war and illustrated the decay of the international security environment. It also would've committed all participants to ensure that nuclear weapons would not be used.
Sources
The Associated Press | The Guardian | Kyiv Independent
Photo Accreditation
United Nations Logo | Public Domain Image | via Wikimedia Commons
Importance Level
HIGH
The Associated Press | The Guardian | Kyiv Independent
Photo Accreditation
United Nations Logo | Public Domain Image | via Wikimedia Commons
Importance Level
HIGH
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