ATOM Project Hon. Ambassador Speaks at 5th Prague Agenda Conference and 2015 Assembly of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
October 19, 2015
The 5th Prague Agenda Conference and the 2015 Assembly of international network of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) was held Oct, 14-17 in Prague with the support of the Senat of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The conference focused on issues related to nuclear security, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
This large scale and top level event was attended by members of national parliaments, political leaders and public figures from different countries, representatives of the UN, international organizations and academic community as well as experts in this field.
The participants of the conference have discussed the current situation and prospects of nuclear weapons reduction, the role of the UN Security Council and IAEA in terms of strengthening the steps related to non-proliferation of WMD. The necessity of urgent ratification by all countries in the world and the entry into force of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was underlined.
Discussions that took place at the conference aimed at analysing the threats related to proliferation of nuclear technology, designing concrete steps and recommendations for further reduction of nuclear arsenals, and how to prevent terrorist organizations from getting a nuclear weapon.
Special attention was paid to the debate of contribution of parliamentarians to non-proliferation, nuclear materials control legal framework and fulfilling obligations related to export control mechanisms.
In his speech, Victor Rogalev, deputy chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and security of the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) of the Republic of Kazakhstan and member of the Council of the international PNDD forum elaborated on recent international initiatives in this area adopted by the Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
In this regard, he stressed the importance of forming general public opinion against nuclear testing and in favour of the banning of nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan has a moral right to raise this issue since approximately 450 nuclear tests were conducted in our country during the period from 1949 to 1989 and as a result of these tests, more than 1.5 million people of Kazakhstan suffered and then continue to experience the consequences.
Rogalov also presented The ATOM Project (Abolish Testing. Our Mission) to the international community. The Atom Project is committed to creating global support for the comprehensive nuclear test ban and achieving the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. This project was launched in Astana on Aug. 29, on a day which was declared by the UN the International Day against Nuclear Tests, to commemorate the day when the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was closed by the President Nazabayev in 1991.
Karipbek Kuyukov, honourable guest from Kazakhstan, Honourary Ambassador of The ATOM Project, activist of the international anti-nuclear movement and renowned artist also addressed the conference. He talked about his life, his hardship and the about tragic fate of his compatriots, who suffered from the nuclear testing conducted on the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
Kuyukov has visited many countries, where people suffered from the fact that their homes were close to the nuclear test sites. He has seen the tears of Japanese mothers from Hiroshima and Nagasaki and has taken took part in demonstrations and protests at the nuclear test site in Nevada, USA. He has many friends among people who were involved in eliminating the consequences of Chernobyl nuclear accident and is well aware of the suffering which our planet has experienced.
He underlined that thanks to his unprecedented peacemaking contribution into this process, President Nazarbayev has created a worthy example of humanity for other countries involved in arms race to follow.
The decision to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site adopted by President Nazarbayev inspired Kuyuov to make his own contribution into the struggle for a nuclear-weapons-free world. He stressed that one of our main missions on our planet should be to do whatever it takes to prevent ordinary people and future generations from suffering from nuclear testing.
During the conference, an exhibition of the artwork by Kuyuov was organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Prague as well as photography stands which illustrated the topic, Nuclear security in today’s world. Participants and guests of the forum had the unique opportunity to see and feel the pain and tragedy experienced by Kazakhstan as a result from the devastating nuclear testing conducted in this country.
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
in the Czech Republic