UZBEKISTANPERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTANTO THE UNITED NATIONSStatement by H.E. Murad Askarov
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan
to the United Nations
on behalf of the States Partiesof the CENTRAL ASIAN NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONETREATY the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic ofTajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan at the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)New York, 3-28 May 2010
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Dear Mr. President,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the delegations of the five Central Asianstates - the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
First of all, let me on behalf of our states to welcome you, Mr. Ambassador
Libran Nuevas Cabactulan, as the President of the 2010 Review Conference. We areconfident that under your leadership the work of the 2010 Review Conference of States
Parties to the NPT, the results of which will affect the global regime of nuclear nonproliferation, will be successful and constructive.
Dear Mr. President,
The idea of establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones embodied in Article VII of
the NPT has gained increasing international support, which is reflected in a number ofmultilateral instruments, including the outcome of the NPT Review Conferences, theGeneral Assembly special sessions on disarmament and other forums. In variousregions, thanks to initiatives of the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, we see
the strengthening of the movement for peace and security towards "the nuclear weapon
free world."
In the Decision on "Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation andDisarmament" agreed at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, thepromotion of nuclear-weapon-free zones has been announced as one of the mainpriorities. In this regard, in the preparation process for the 2010 Review Conference theStates Parties to the NPT attached great importance to regional aspects ofimplementation of the Treaty, including the establishment of nuclear-weapon-freezones.
The Resolution 1887 adopted by the Security Council on September 24, 2009 has
supported the steps taken to conclude nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties and reaffirmed
the conviction that the establishment of internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-freezones on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region
concerned, and in accordance with the 1999 UN Disarmament Commission guidelines,
enhances global and regional peace and security, strengthens the nuclear nonproliferation regime, and contributes toward realizing the objectives of nuclear
disarmament.
Dear Mr. President,
Since the first years of their Independence, the five Central Asian states haveembarked on one of the fundamental provisions of the NPT - Article VII of the Treaty,
which provides for the conclusion of regional treaties and agreements on theestablishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones.
In order to strengthen the NPT regime and to ensure regional security, theRepublic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and the Republic of Uzbekistan agreed to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central

Asia, considering this initiative as an important element of disarmament andstrengthening the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.
The initiative of the regional states to establish the Central Asian NuclearWeapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) has been reflected and further developed in the Almaty
Declaration of the Heads of State of the Central Asian States, the Tashkent Statement of
the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the five States of the region and in the Communique ofthe Bishkek Consultative Meeting of Experts of the Central Asian Countries, the NuclearWeapon States and the United Nations.
The UN General Assembly resolutions 52/38 S of 9 December 1997, 53/77A of 4December 1998, 55/33 W of 20 November 2000, and 57/69 of 22 November 2002
entitled "Establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia" havedemonstrated the broad international support for the determination of the Central AsianStates to achieve their goal.
The Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference and the documents of thethree sessions of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 NPT Review Conference haveprovided support for the intention and commitment of the five Central Asian States toestablish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in their region, as well as for the practical steps
taken in this direction.
It should also be noted that in accordance with paragraph 25 of the Principles andGuidelines for the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones adopted by theDisarmament Commission at its 1999 substantive session, the five Central Asian States
and the five Nuclear-Weapon States held consultative meetings at expert level on theCANWFZ Treaty and its Protocol.
In this regard, it is necessary to underline the considerable support rendered by
the international community to the efforts of five Central Asian States to implement theinitiative of the establishment of the CANWFZ, in particular the financial assistanceextended by Japan.
On September 8, 2006 in Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan) the representatives of five
Central Asian countries signed the Treaty establishing a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone inCentral Asia. Conclusion of the Treaty in Semipalatinsk has been deeply symbolic interms of the nuclear non-proliferation. It is well-known that in the past theSemipalatinsk site, which has been officially closed by Kazakhstan in 1991, was one of
the largest nuclear test sites of our planet where a total of 459 nuclear explosions wereconducted.
The signing of the Treaty on CANWFZ can be considered as a logical andsuccessful achievement in the development and adoption of this document.
The UN General Assembly in its resolutions 61/88 of 6 December 2006 and 63/63 of 2December 2009 welcomed the signing of the Treaty on CANWFZ, and also stressed that theestablishment of this zone has been an important step towards strengthening the nuclear
nonproliferation regime, promoting cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and theenvironmental rehabilitation of the territories affected by radioactive contamination, and theenhancing of regional and international peace and security, as well as an effective contribution
to combating international terrorism and preventing nuclear materials and technologies fromfalling into the hands of non-State actors, primarily terrorists.

Due to the ratification of the Treaty on CANWFZ by all five Central Asian states, itentered into the force on March 21, 2009. On October 15, 2009, the first consultative meetingof States Parties to the Treaty on CANWFZ was held in the capital of Turkmenistan.
The UN General Assembly Resolution 64/57 adopted in 2010 entitled "Towards a
nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament
commitments" has welcomed the entry into force of the Treaty on establishing the NuclearWeapon-Free Zone in Central Asia.
We also would like to note that the factual reports of the president of the previous
sessions of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to theNPT contain a provision welcoming the signing of the Treaty on CANWFZ by all the Central
Asian countries. In the working documents of the First and Second sessions of the Preparatory
Committee, it welcomed the efforts of Central Asian states to promote the early entry intoforce of the Treaty on CANWFZ, and at its Third session the Preparatory Committee
welcomed the entry into force of the Treaty on establishing the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone inCentral Asia on March 21,2009.
Dear Mr. President,
2010 is a crucial year for strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
In this regard, I would like to draw your attention to several important events of this year:
On April 12, Washington hosted the International Summit on Nuclear Security with theparticipation of more than 40 states which pledged to work together to implement theobjectives of ensuring the security of nuclear materials and to strengthen cooperation in thesphere of non-proliferation.
On 30 April the Second Conference of States Parties and Signatories to Treaties that
Establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zones, and Mongolia took place in New York. TheConference has reaffirmed that the NWFZ in Central Asia and other nuclear weapon-freezones established in the world are making a real contribution to the implementation of theNPT, the global process of disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as to the establishmentof mechanisms of enhancing the regional and global security.
It is our deep conviction that the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones is one of
the universal instruments to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons, which ensures that on
the vast areas of our world the dozens of states pledge not to transfer nuclear weapons or othernuclear explosive devices or accept such transfers from any other party, or control over suchdevices, either direct or indirect, as well as not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons or othernuclear explosive devices, and not to receive any assistance in their production.
It must be stressed that the current stage in the process of creating nuclear-weapon-freezones around the world is not final. In this regard, as the States Parties to the Treaty on
CANWFZ, we call on other states and regions of the world to follow our example. We hopethat all parties concerned will take practical steps to implement the proposal to establish a
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East.
To promote the good practice of establishing of nuclear-weapon-free zones in different
parts of the world, we are suggesting accelerating the institutionalization of the status of all theexisting zones with the provision of the negative security assurances by Nuclear-Weapon
States.

Dear Mr. President,It gives me a great pleasure to introduce, on behalf of the delegations of theRepublic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and the Republic of Uzbekistan, a Working Document on the Establishment of theCentral Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone prepared by the collective efforts of ourcountries.
The Working Document reflects the progress made since the signing of theTreaty on CANWFZ in 2006, and reaffirms our strong commitment to continue theefforts aimed at effective implementation of the provisions of this Treaty.
In conclusion, allow me to express, Mr. President, the common hope of theCentral Asian states that the submitted Working Document will be supported by theStates Parties of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, which will
create favorable conditions to reflect its main points in the final report of theConference.

Thank you for your attention.