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The ATOM Project Presented During the 41st Session of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission

October 28, 2013

VIENNA, Oct. 28 – The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the International Organizations in Vienna, in cooperation with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), today presented the ATOM Project – an initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The event, which took place on the margins of the 41st session of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, was attended by Dr. Lassina Zerbo, the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, His Excellency Mr. Kairat Abdrakhmanov, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria – Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, Mr. Roman Vassilenko, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and Mr. Karipbek Kuyukov, Honorary ATOM Project Ambassador and a famous artist, as well as leading non-proliferation and disarmament experts, diplomats, staff of the United Nations Office in Vienna, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations and the media.

The participants of this year’s main annual CTBTO meeting also visited an exhibition of paintings by Karipbek Kuyukov entitled “Looking for Peace,” and a photo exhibit about the history of Kazakhstan’s nuclear weapons disarmament.

Dr. Zerbo drew attention to the importance of the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and emphasized Kazakhstan’s unique contribution to advancing the ideals of nuclear non-proliferation and a world free of nuclear weapons.

“Nearly two decades after President Nazarbayev’s bold step to close the Semipalatinsk test site, there are those who still question that nuclear testing does not make any one safer. On the contrary, it threatens peace, security and sustainable development,” Dr. Zerbo said. “Human suffering of victims exposed to radiation, the environmental degradation, and economic loss should never be forgotten. The ATOM Project is an expression of the strength of the people of Kazakhstan: in suffering, they found determination; in despair, they found awareness; in tragedy, they found firm conviction of a better world. While telling the stories of the survivors of nuclear tests, the ATOM Project creates awareness of the human and environmental cost of nuclear testing, and acts as a strong voice for millions of citizens all over the world united in their desire to stop nuclear testing forever and to choose a different future. … Now is the time for the eight states whose ratification of the CTBT will bring it into force to show the political will and fully endorse it.”

In his speech, Ambassador Abdrakhmanov spoke of Kazakhstan’s initiatives in the non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament fields, noting that today the country takes a firm position on the need to take further decisive actions to address the global nuclear threat. The ambassador also noted that the decision made 22 years ago by President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the newly-independent country to close the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site demonstrated to the international community that it was possible to voluntarily renounce nuclear weapons by the will of the people.

For his part, Mr. Vassilenko spoke about the history of Kazakhstan’s disarmament and disposal of Soviet nuclear weapons, particularly noting the country’s principaled and unconditional decision to waive potential membership in the club of nuclear-weapon states. He then presented the ATOM Project to event attendees, and went on to say the following: “We have seen unwavering support for The ATOM Project, both in our country and internationally. Already, people from more than 100 countries have signed the petition. But we can and must achieve greater results, and we will continue our efforts in earnest. And we will continue calling on all people of good will to support the АТОМ Project and make the realization of a nuclear-weapons-free world our primary purpose”.

In his address to the audience, Mr. Kuyukov once again reminded the world of the tragic consequences of nuclear testing, of which he is a survivor, and urged those present to support the ATOM Project to achieve a final and irrevocable ban on nuclear testing.
Event participants called on the international community to take further steps towards achieving a world without nuclear weapons, including through the early entry into force of the CTBT.

To date, the Treaty has been signed by 183 countries and ratified by 161. In order for it to enter into force, the Treaty requires the signature and ratification of at least another eight countries listed in the Annex II to the CTBT: Egypt, Israel, India, Iran, the DPRK, China, Pakistan, and the USA.
On 31 October 2013, the ATOM Project and the paintings of Karipbek Kuyukov will be presented in Krems, Austria.

The launch of the ATOM Project was announced by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on August 29, 2012 at the international conference “From a Nuclear Test Ban to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World”. It is an international campaign aimed at uniting global efforts to achieve a definitive ban on nuclear weapons tests. The ATOM Project is an acronym for “Abolish Testing. Our Mission”. (Additional information is available at www.theatomproject.org)