The Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed in Semipalatinsk

ArmInfo. On September 8, 2006, the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (CANWFZ Treaty) was signed in Semipalatinsk. In honor of the 20th anniversary of this event, the foreign ministers of the states The Treaty's signatories adopted a Joint Statement. In the statement, the heads of the foreign ministries of the five regional states reaffirm their commitment to the goals and principles of the Treaty, which is the first and only agreement establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and bordering two nuclear-weapon states. Noting the importance of the CANWFZ Treaty for strengthening nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, regional and international security, and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the ministers commented on current issues on the global disarmament agenda, including the results of the Eleventh NPT Review Conference, the status of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the ratification of the Protocol on Negative Security Assurances, and prospects for cooperation with other existing and future nuclear-weapon-free zones. The document reaffirms the unity of the Central Asian states' positions on regional security issues and their contribution to global efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.