Kazakhstan urges countries to uphold moratorium on nuclear testing

Kazakhstan and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization have urged countries to uphold the moratorium on nuclear testing and called on states that have not yet signed or ratified the treaty to do so as soon as possible.

The joint statement marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests was issued by Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev and CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, where more than 450 nuclear tests were conducted over four decades. Kazakhstan closed the site on 29 August 1991.

The statement said the closure sent an important political signal and contributed to international efforts that led to the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996.

To date, 188 countries have signed the CTBT and 179 have ratified it. However, the treaty has yet to enter into force.

The year 2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia.

Kazakhstan also contributes to the international system monitoring compliance with the nuclear test ban. Five International Monitoring System stations operate in the country under the National Nuclear Centre. Worldwide, 308 facilities have been certified, including 293 monitoring stations and 15 radionuclide laboratories.

Kazakhstan and the CTBTO stressed the need to bring the treaty into force and establish a legally binding, comprehensive ban on nuclear testing.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also called on world powers to refrain from nuclear testing in a statement issued earlier today.