India committed to goal of nuclear weapons free world: Shringla at UNSC

Shringla pointed out that India was the first country to call for a ban on nuclear testing in 1954 and a non-discriminatory treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, on Monday, said that India is committed to the goal of nuclear weapons free world and complete elimination of nuclear weapons, consistent with highest priority accorded to nuclear disarmament by Final Document of 1st Spl Session of UNGA on Disarmament (SSOD-I).

"We believe that this goal can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed global and non-discriminatory multilateral framework," Shringla said.

Shringla made the statement while addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the "Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." Shringla pointed out that India was the first country to call for a ban on nuclear testing in 1954 and a non-discriminatory treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"India had participated in the negotiations of the draft CTBT in the Conference on Disarmament. But, India could not join the Treaty as the Treaty did not address a number of core concerns raised by India," the Foreign Secretary said at the UN Security Council meeting.

Highlighting India's voluntary and unilateral moratorium on nuclear explosive testing, Shringla stated that India would continue to work in the framework of the Disarmament Triad consisting of the Conference on Disarmament, the UN Disarmament Commission and the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, to strengthen nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.

"As the world’s sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, the Conference on Disarmament is well placed to advance the global disarmament agenda and negotiate legally binding instruments on items on its core agenda," he added.

Reiterating India's contributionts towards strengthening of global nuclear security architecture, Shringla listed out the country's participation in international fora including Nuclear Security Summit and other conferences on Nuclear Security organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Shringla further expressed India's hope that the international community will continue to work towards realizing the collective aspiration for a nuclear-weapons-free world.