News

On 18 April in Vilnius a two day long NATO seminar “Curbing the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Related Knowledge: What more should be done?”” started, at which representative from various countries and international organizations discuss the most important issues regarding the threats of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “Combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the threat of international terrorism related to it today has become one   of the greatest challenges to the security of the world,” said the Undersecretary of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Laimonas Talat-Kelpša at the seminar.

Presenting the approach of Lithuania to the challenges of combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, L.Talat-Kelpša noticed that not a single country facing the threats can rely on its own forces. Only the cooperation of the international community and joined efforts can guarantee success.

In his speech L.Talat-Kelpša indicated that creation of more strict rules of international agreements restraining the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their components is a priority of crucial importance. The Undersecretary of the Ministry stressed the role of international supervisory bodies, such as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) preventing the uncontrolled proliferation of hazardous substances and technology.

Lithuania, according to the Undersecretary of the Ministry L.Talat-Kelpša, seeks to make the safeguard standards that are set out by this international agency for nuclear power plants, infrastructure, substances and technologies universally obligatory.

It also aspires to make the cooperation in the area of nuclear energy possible only for countries that have signed the so-called additional protocol, seeking to reduce the number of explosives remaining after the war and mitigate their threat, as well as for the countries implementing the agreements with the IAEA on overall supervision of nuclear objects.

Lithuanian representative emphasized that one of the most important tasks is to strengthen export control standards and mechanisms at the national and international levels. L.Talat-Kelpša stressed the significance of the UN Security Council resolution 1540, which exhaustively deals with the issue of non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons and encouraged all states to strive to thoroughly implement its provisions. 

Lithuania, according to the Undersecretary of the Ministry L.Talat-Kelpša, actively supports multilateral initiatives to enhance cooperation and apply practically effective measures for illegal proliferation networks, including the Proliferation Security Initiative and the new Global Initiative to Combat Terrorism.

This seminar is one of few international discussion forums that give possibility to representatives of various countries within the region, who often have different attitudes, to discuss problems regarding the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction together. The participants of the seminar come from NATO and Partner countries, the Alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue partners, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific region. Representatives of the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for the Prohibition on Chemical Weapons, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and other international organizations also took part in the seminar.