Energy, Forum, Latvia, Legislation, USA

Thereby, it was also not possible to adopt a Final Document that would cover all the NPT pillars.

Latvia believes that the NPT is the most vital treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and disarmament, and therefore, the implementation of decisions made at the previous Review Conferences, especially the Action Plan approved in 2010, should be continued.

Latvia took an active part in the work of the conference and presented three national statements – at the General Debate, Main Committee I on nuclear disarmament and Main Committee II on non-proliferation – and engaged in discussions on several occasions, which included reading of a statement on behalf of the European Union. At the General Debate, Latvia supported the long term goal of achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. Latvia supports an approach that envisages incremental and well-thought-out actions on the way toward nuclear disarmament, while preserving strategic balance in the world. In a statement on non-proliferation Latvia addressed issues such as the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, Iran’s nuclear programme and NTP violations by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea.

During the Review Conference, Latvia along with 25 other countries joined the statement by Australia on humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, and together with 73 other countries – Japan’s statement on the role of education in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

At the Review Conference, Latvia and the European External Action Service co-organised a side event – a discussion entitled “The EU as a global actor in the field of nuclear safety and security”, at which Ambassador Janis Mazeiks, the Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations, presented Latvia’s priorities and activities in the field of nuclear security.

Since 1970, a total of 190 states have joined to the NPT, including the five nuclear-weapon states – the United States of America, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, France and China. Latvia ratified the treaty in 1992. At the 1995 Review Conference, it was decided that the Treaty shall be in force indefinitely. The NPT Review Conference takes place once every five years, and, at that time, accomplishments made in the intervening years are evaluated. This is not the first time that a Review Conference has concluded without a consensus outcome: in 2005, the Review Conference also did not produce a final document.

The nuclear-weapon states, which have not acceded to the Treaty, for instance, India and Pakistan, pose a significant challenge in the NTP context. Also important are violations by the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, which in 2003 announced its withdrawal from the Treaty and subsequently carried out three nuclear tests.