Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: President Cassis travels to New York
During the month of August, 191 States Parties will meet in New York to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, will attend the conference today, August 2, 2022.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the basis for nuclear disarmament worldwide. However, the disarmament of nuclear arsenals is currently proving difficult in view of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. At a conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York, Switzerland intends to push for concrete results so that nuclear disarmament can be tackled. President Ignazio Casssis will travel to New York for this purpose on August 2. The conference of the 191 states parties will last until August 26.
History of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) originally came into being in 1968 as a result of the arms race between the superpowers after World War II. The trigger at the time was the near-escalation of the Cuban Missile Crisis. To date, the NPT prohibits the five official nuclear powers (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France) from transferring nuclear arsenals or developing and producing them. Existing nuclear arsenals are to be disarmed and all signatory states are to have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
At present, around 13,000 nuclear weapons are in the possession of the official nuclear powers - the USA, Russia, France, China and Great Britain. Switzerland's foreign policy priority is to reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons. A concrete package of measures is planned at the conference, which will be based on the so-called "Stockholm Initiative" oriented. Decisive partial steps towards nuclear disarmament are demanded in order to strengthen the NPT as a central disarmament instrument, as the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs (FDFA) writes in a statement.
Source: DFA, editorial office
