For more than fifty years, this Treaty has\u202fbeen a truly\u202f vital pillar of international peace and security.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
It has\u202fhelped\u202flimit the spread of\u202fnuclear\u202fweapons;\u202f facilitated\u202faccess to clean and reliable energy;\u202fand\u202fhas\u202fbuilt\u202fconfidence\u202ffor\u202fresponsible nuclear trade.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
In short, it has delivered real benefits for people around the world.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom\u202fremains\u202ffully committed to the Treaty and\u202four obligations under it, including Article Six.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
But\u202fwe should not take the Treaty, or the stability it\u202fhelps\u202fprovide, for granted.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the next few weeks, our task is to renew our common commitment to the principles of the Treaty so that it can continue to support the security of us all.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since\u202fthis Conference\u202flast met,\u202fRussia\u202fhas developed novel nuclear systems,\u202fcontinued its\u202funprovoked and\u202fillegal invasion of Ukraine, in which it has\u202frelentlessly attacked civilian targets, including with\u202fmedium-range ballistic missiles, and reckless behaviour in relation to\u00a0 Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl, and it has engaged in\u202fcoercive nuclear\u202fsignalling.\u202f<\/p>\n
Iran\u202fis\u202fin\u202fnon-compliance\u202fwith\u202fits\u202fsafeguards\u202fobligations,\u202fand\u202fthe DPRK\u202fcontinues to develop\u202fnuclear weapons.\u202f<\/p>\n
Furthermore,\u202fChina is rapidly and opaquely expanding its nuclear arsenal\u202fand\u202fhas not fully engaged in meaningful transparency or risk reduction measures.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Against that backdrop,\u202fthe UK\u2019s\u202fposition is clear.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Firstly, we will work to support the IAEA and countries around the world in tackling the major nuclear proliferation challenges, above all, the programmes in Iran and DPRK.\u202f<\/p>\n
We have been clear that a negotiated outcome is the only long-term solution to the threat posed by Iran\u2019s nuclear programme.\u202f<\/p>\n
And we\u202fremain\u202fcommitted to\u202favoiding conflict\u202fon the Korean peninsula.\u202f<\/p>\n
We\u202furge the DPRK to dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes,\u202fre-engage in\u202fmeaningful\u202fdialogue, \u202fand\u202freturn to full compliance with the NPT.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Secondly, nuclear deterrence\u202fremains\u202fthe bedrock of\u202fUK\u202fsecurity and our commitment to NATO.\u202f<\/p>\n
We have and will continue to take the steps necessary to\u202fmaintain\u202four deterrence capability, always with the aims and obligations of the NPT in mind.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the same time, we continue our work to create the conditions\u202fto support\u202fnuclear disarmament\u202fwhen the security circumstances allow.\u202f<\/p>\n
Our approach is pragmatic and principled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We believe the right approach is to\u202fproceed\u202fstep by step, in a transparent,\u202fverifiable,\u202fand irreversible\u202fmanner, based on the principles of increased and undiminished\u202fsecurity for\u202fall.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our focus is on practical efforts.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
This includes our continued support for negotiations to\u202fcommence\u202fin the Conference on Disarmament on a Fissile Material\u202fCut\u2011Off\u202fTreaty; \u202fmaintaining\u202four voluntary moratorium on conducting nuclear test explosions;\u202f and\u202four support\u202ffor the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
We are fully committed to the P5 Process\u202f\u202fand have taken our role as Chair seriously\u202fthis year, using meetings under our Chair\u202fto promote active engagement\u202fand practical measures\u202fbetween nuclear weapons states to\u202freduce risks.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
We strongly support US efforts to intensify discussions among the P5 on strategic stability, including through proposed multilateral\u202fstrategic stability\u202ftalks.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom strongly supports the principle and practice of\u202fNuclear\u2011Weapon\u2011Free\u202fZones.<\/p>\n
\u202fWe will continue discussions with ASEAN Member States to\u202festablish\u202fa path for the UK to sign the Protocol to the Bangkok Treaty\u202fto progress the establishment of the\u202fSouth East Asia\u202fNuclear Weapons Free Zone.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thirdly,\u202f\u202fas access to peaceful nuclear energy expands,\u202fwith the obvious benefits to the climate and people around the world,\u202fthe need for rigorous safeguards becomes greater.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
The International Atomic Energy Agency\u202fand\u202fits safeguards system\u202funderpins\u202fthe effective implementation of the Treaty, providing\u202fassurance that nuclear programmes are exclusively peaceful.\u202f<\/p>\n
It is essential this Conference supports that work.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
The UK\u2019s\u202fgoal on peaceful uses\u202fof nuclear technology\u202fis clear: to work with others to make sure\u202fthat\u202fcivil nuclear technology is used safely and responsibly, in a way that builds trust between countries.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
We are driving the largest expansion of civil nuclear power in a generation, including through Small Modular Reactors.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
And we are working with partners and the IAEA to make sure technologies are used safely and responsibly, from cancer treatment to food security and clean energy, so that every country can\u202f benefit.<\/p>\n
As we enter a period of unprecedented growth in nuclear power, the NPT will continue to play an integral role in building global confidence in safe and secure expansion, without increased risk of proliferation.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr President, the UK believes that the Treaty\u202fremains\u202fthe only credible route to tackle the nuclear challenges of the decades to come.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
We must use the next few weeks\u202fto unite behind\u202fit.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
We want this Conference to deliver a consensus outcome that strengthens implementation of the NPT.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n
Whether or\u202fnot\u202fwe can get there,\u202fthe Treaty\u2019s\u202frole in global security is enduring\u202fand undiminished.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
But\u202fa\u202fcollective signal that, despite our differences, we can come together to restate common commitments\u202fwould further strengthen it and send a powerful message.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, Mr President,\u202fat this Conference, we will all play our part, working with all States Parties in a spirit of pragmatism, in support of the Treaty and its enduring role in the years ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For more than fifty years, this Treaty has\u202fbeen a truly\u202f vital pillar of international peace and security.\u202f\u202f\u00a0 It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-554004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}