CSTO member states adopt statement on 30th anniversary of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site closure
The joint statement of the six CSTO countries notes the role of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose decree shut down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on 29 August 1991.
According to the ministers, this historic step became an important milestone in promoting the idea of a universal ban on nuclear tests. The document emphasizes that the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site has given an important impetus to international efforts to establish a moratorium on nuclear tests around the world and the creation in 2006 of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia.
It is noted that since the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan has carried out substantial amount of work to rehabilitate its territory and adjacent areas, as well as to ensure radiation safety and restore the environment. The importance of joint projects of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the Russian Federation and the United States of America on the territory of the former test site to eliminate the threat of nuclear proliferation is emphasized.
The document expresses support for the resolution adopted in December 2020 by the UN General Assembly on International Cooperation and Coordination for the Human and Ecological Rehabilitation and Economic Development of the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan, and emphasizes the commitment of the CSTO member States to the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Overall, the CSTO countries emphasize the contribution of Kazakhstan, which voluntarily renounced the possession of nuclear weapons, to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, maintaining international security and stability.