Semipalatinsk nuclear test range shut-down inaugurated a new stage of global nuclear disarmament process, Nazarbayev

ASTANA. August 29. KAZINFORM "Shutting down of the nuclear test range at Semipalatinsk gave a start to a new stage of the global process of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament," President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev said delivering an opening address at the international conference From a Nuclear Test Ban to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World underway at the Palace of Independence in Astana.

"Kazakhstan was one of the first to sign The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty (CTBT) opened for
signature 16 years ago. 180 countries have already joined the treaty, 157 states ratified it. All the member states of the Nuclear Club observe moratorium on nuclear testing. The world's another largest testing sites went also silent after the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing range shut-down," Nursultan Nazarbayev said.