Kazakhstan marks Day of Closure of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site
In 2019, this date was included in the list of national holidays in Kazakhstan.
The closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site became a long-awaited and fateful decision. This was the goal of the Nevada-Semipalatinsk movement established in 1989 and led by Olzhas Suleimenov. Thanks to the nationwide support, in 1989 the movement could halt 11 blasts at the Semipalatinsk polygon out of 18 planned ones. The last explosion took place on October 19.
Born on the Kazakh soil on February 28, 1989, the Nevada-Semey movement set a mission to close the Semipalatinsk polygon. It also succeeded in awakening other nuclear countries to follow this example. And at present, Kazakhstan occupies a confident position at the global arena of anti-nuclear movement,» Olzhas Suleimenov believes.
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union carried out its first nuclear test. From 1949 to 1989, at least 456 nuclear tests, as well as dozens of hydronuclear and hydrodynamic tests, were conducted on the sacred for the Kazakh people land, the birthplace of the great Kazakh poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev.
On December 2, 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, unanimously adopted the resolution 64/35, as per which August 29 was declared the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
The Republic of Kazakhstan initiated the adoption of this resolution to mark the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site on August 29, 1991.
The main tool for cessation of nuclear weapon testing is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 10, 1996. Kazakhstan actively participated in the development and adoption of the CTBT and was one of the first to sign it on September 30, 1996.