Foreign Minister: Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is Pivotal for International Peace

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi delivers a statement at the High-level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Friday (2/10) (Photo by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Despite 75 years since the establishment of the United Nations (UN) and 50 years since the signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the world is still far from the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi has said.

“No significant progress has been made by the possessor states in eliminating their nuclear arsenals. Thus, the trust deficit among countries grows ever larger,” the Minister said at the High-level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Friday (2/10)

To achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Retno underlined three critical points, as follows:

First, implementation and enforcement of the NPT. “Equal progress on the three pillars of the NPT is very pivotal, including the obligation of all nuclear-weapon states to advance the disarmament agenda,” Retno stated.

Second, strengthening the mechanism and architecture of global disarmament. Enforcement of several mechanisms for disarmament, such as the Conference of Disarmament, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and other mechanisms must be in force so that the goal of total elimination of nuclear weapons can be achieved.

“Lastly, nuclear disarmament must provide tangible benefits for global prosperity,” the Foreign Minister said.

The COVID-19 pandemic, Retno added, serves as a reminder that human and humanitarian protection can only be achieved through global solidarity and not nuclear weapons.

“Maintaining nuclear weapons is clearly a zero-sum situation. Conversely, total elimination of nuclear weapons will ensure that humanity prevails,” Retno concluded.  (Ministry of Foreign Affairs/UN)

Translated by: Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Reviewed by: Muhardi