Atom Project Hon. Amd. Karipbek Kuyukov’s Oslo Conference Comments

March 4, 2013

Dear ladies and gentlemen, participants of the conference

I am immeasurably grateful to the organizers of this conference for giving me today the opportunity to tell you about the destiny of my country, which is eager to secure the world peace through nuclear disarmament.

I was born in Kazakhstan, in a little village called Egindybulak, which is 100 km away from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. My parents, who unfortunately passed away, were the witnesses of all what had happened on test site. But today I can proudly say that my little unknown nation made a step, which was beyond the strength of Great Powers – we made the very first real step towards world nuclear disarmament. By the order of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, which sowed devastation throughout 40 years, was finally closed.

If somebody thinks that this is how the nuclear weapon threat was eliminated, our answer to them will be “NO!”

The nuclear testing that recently took place in North Korea is a proof to that. North Korea announced its wish to become a full member of a Nuclear Weapons Club along with the USA, Russia, Great Britain, France and China. As the victim of nuclear weapons testing, I want to condemn the nuclear policy of North Korea and address the North Korean government quoting our Kazakh writer Rolan Seisenbayev:

“…. Striving for nuclear superiority
cannot be justified as the act of self-defense
by any country
We all, the Asians, the Europeans,
the Africans, the Americans –
have the same feeling of love and grief….”

We should mobilize the world community more than ever in order to denuclearize the world. The world community should announce, as it was never announced before, that “They are against nuclear weapons and they are against nuclear war”.

We, who suffered because of the nuclear testing, appeal to common sense, representing all atrocities and consequences of nuclear war until we have the opportunity to do that. If billions of people would understand the very meaning of nuclear weapons, the world community shall get enough spirit and power to get rid of the nuclear weapons forever.

On the other hand, I’m trying to keep my mind off the thoughts that a new nuclear arms race is possible. That is why I think that our destiny is in our hands and we have strength to change the future. I deem it my duty to speak out on this issue, thanks to this conference I have an opportunity and a chance to do that.

My call for a nuclear weapon free world is expressed in my paintings. I am telling the world that nuclear weapons are incompatible with human life. Nuclear arms race and the will to achieve world supremacy with nuclear weapons are growing. We should stop ourselves. In order to reach this goal we have to talk about what we have seen.

We should create and protect a peaceful world, where people could live without fear. But what we have now is a world divided into several parts by political ideology, we need a world where there would be no excuses for Hiroshima and Nagasaki or for Chernobyl or Semipalatinsk…

North Korea is going to develop nuclear weapons. It is a crucial question, which represents all the danger of the current situation.

With the help of human wisdom and solidarity we have to create the basis which would help us to control the situation. Let’s strain after world peace we have now and let’s support the message of nuclear test victims in order to secure peace on our planet.

I believe that hundreds of nuclear test victims, who are no longer with us, watch upon us with approval and countenance. I pray that we have the clear blue sky forever as it is now. Because even if you hear the wind bringing the smell of burnt and ashes, you cannot realize how dreadful the nuclear apocalypses is.

We have enough nuclear weapons now to destroy everything on Earth in a short period of time.

We live now in a dangerous world, either we like it or not. If we want to protect ourselves, we have to ban nuclear weapons.

The ATOM project is in the forefront of nuclear disarmament process. Join us, visit the ATOM project web site, sign the online petition and use your voice to stop the nuclear arms race.

I wish you and your families the peace and harmony.