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Galym Orazbakov, Kazakh Ambassador to Russia
20 years ago, Kazakhstan became a pioneer of nuclear disarmament,
voluntarily giving up its nuclear legacy and puttingall of its nuclear facilities under IAEA control.
Even then, by closing the Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan has demonstrated its political responsibility
to the international community and a partnership model with leading nuclear powers - Russia and the United States -
on the basis of mutual trust.
It is symbolic that another important document on global security,
the Treaty on the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia, was also signed in September 2006 in Semipalatinsk.
Today, the task of ensuring global nuclear safety is regulated by two basic documents
- the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 1968 and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1996.
Most countries of the world are parties to such agreements,
but some people still refrain from joining them or ratifying them,
thus promoting the concerns of the international community on the further spread of nuclear weapons.
In these circumstances, the President of Kazakhstan proposed to legalize the new format of the nuclear club,
including in it countries which have nuclear weapons de facto,
provided that the UN Security Council will have the right to apply measures
forcing countries that do not wish to join this process.
I would especially like to note that Kazakhstan and its President
are not limited to calls for peace and nuclear disarmament,
but in practice are committed to supporting the peace policy.
Thus, Kazakhstan is successfully implementing a program on decreasing the nuclear threat,
in particular, it is decommissioning a nuclear reactor at Aktau,
reconstructing a research reactor near Alma-Ata,
and is developing a methodology for the liquidation of the highly-enriched uranium stored there.
The republic has ratified amendments to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material,
and encourages everyone to take steps to expedite the ratification, in order for them to take effect by 2014.
From 2010-11 Kazakhstan hosted international conferences with the participation of the IAEA,
the UN and a number of regional organizations.
At a conference in 2011, the leader of Kazakhstan took the initiative to establish an international nuclear fuel bank
of the IAEA, limiting access to nuclear materials.
This year, the format of the conference was brought to the level of inter-parliamentary cooperation.
From August 27-29 Astana, Kurchatov and Semipalatinsk hosted an international conference
"From the nuclear test ban to a world free of nuclear weapons."
Olzhas Suleymanov, poet and diplomat
"Nevada-Semipalatinsk" is a movement created in February 1989, our date is February 28.
Why have we called our movement "Nevada-Semipalatinsk", not just "Semipalatinsk"?
Because before that we had been publicly opposed to tests in Nevada.
But it was useless.
Then I suggested to start with ourselves.
If we stop Semipalatinsk, Nevada will be stopped as well.
They are like Siamese twins - if one gets sick, the other will also feel bad.
This tactic has paid off.
Already in 1989 we had in Kazakhstan a few hundred thousand, it was the most massive anti-nuclear movement,
the first Soviet anti-nuclear movement.
Based on our example an anti-nuclear movement was formed in Russia, "Nevada - Novaya Zemlya"
Then together we interrupted 11 out of 18 planned explosions at the Semipalatinsk test site.
Only 7 took place.
The last explosion occurred on October 19, 1989.
Then we raised 130,000 miners of Karaganda, who announced that there would be an indefinite strike
if the tests continued.
I arrived at the meeting of the Supreme Council with this resolution,
spoke and called on the Supreme Council to vote for the resolution.
This resolution was voted for.
Gorbachev was then the chairman of the Supreme Council.
On November 20, 1989 a decree of the Soviet Government on considering the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site was issued.
All the tests stopped also at Novaya Zemlya and of course in Semipalatinsk.
The government was considering it for a very long time, but there were no explosions anymore.
On 29 August 1991 the President of Kazakhstan,
Nursultan Nazarbayev had already signed a decree to close the Semipalatinsk test site.
In 1992 tests in Nevada stopped.
Then England and the United States also withdrew from tests -
at this site tests were carried out by Britain and the United States.
Then France stopped its tests in the Pacific.
The Chinese were the last to stop the tests - in 1996.
All in all, 5 polygons stopped working.
They are still silent.
More than a thousand explosions did not take place during this time.
Nature has recovered to a certain extent.
But this work is continuing.
It is very important that the president of Kazakhstan is actively involved in the work.
The recent conference is proof of that.
29 August is our date, because on 29 August 1949 the first explosion took place at the Semipalatinsk test site.
And on 29 August 1991 a decree to close it was issued.
And at the moment the UN celebrates this as the international day of struggle and protest against nuclear tests.
Dauren Aben, expert of the Institute of Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan
Throughout the period of the independent development of the Republic of Kazakhstan
one of the main priorities of its foreign policy was to participate in global nuclear disarmament,
non-proliferation and arms control.
The foundation of the policy was laid even before the collapse of the USSR,
when the leadership of Kazakhstan in the face of President Nazarbayev
supported the national anti-nuclear movement "Nevada-Semipalatinsk" and,
as noted above, when on 29 August 1991 this deadly object was closed.
As you know, after the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan became the owner of the fourth-largest nuclear missile potential.
It seemed that the possession of nuclear weapons was a guarantee of the national security of Kazakhstan,
providing it with coveted international prestige and a strong argument in its relations
with the major powers and regional neighbors.
But Kazakhstan did not fall for this dubious status and made its choice
in favor of abandoning the legacy of the Soviet nuclear potential
and eliminating the infrastructure of weapons of mass destruction,
despite the fact that there were tempting offers from a number of parties
interested in Kazakhstan keeping nuclear weapons in his hands.
This was not only due to the anti-nuclear sentiments which prevailed in society back then
and the unwillingness of the country to have this title.
The Kazakh President was aware that this decision would help to reduce the nuclear threat and strengthen global security,
as well as create favorable conditions for the development of a young independent state.
Thanks to this decision Kazakhstan has gained great international prestige,
the international community has held up the results achieved by our country in this field as a model to other states.
In Astana an international conference "From nuclear test ban to a world free of nuclear weapons" took place.
I would like to talk in a little more detail about the most recent initiatives of our country.
It is no secret that the international nuclear non-proliferation regulations are experiencing hard times.
I am talking about increased incidences of non-compliance with the NPT provisions
and the open question about how to make other nuclear powers join the bilateral US-Russian nuclear arms reduction process,
the stagnation of the negotiation process at the Disarmament Conference
and the issue of the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty are particularly acute.
Along with traditional threats, risks and challenges connected with illegal trafficking
of components and materials for weapons of mass destruction, the problem of nuclear terrorism has become acute.
That is why at the recent forum devoted to the 21st anniversary of the polygon's closing,
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev made statements about a series of military initiatives
which might encourage cooperation in the sphere of nuclear security and approach the international community
to build a world free of nuclear weapons.
First of all, the head of state emphasized the need for
a plan of strategic nuclear armament across-the-board reduction for all nuclear powers, under UN management.
The process should start by rejecting the modernization of old nuclear arsenals,
withdrawing old nuclear warheads and vehicles,
and reducing the importance of nuclear weapons in the military doctrines of nuclear powers,
as well as the unfolding of so-called nuclear umbrellas.
As I've said, the UK, France and China have to join the bilateral Russian-American process.
Moreover, de facto nuclear states should be involved in the process,
and this initiative might be a serious step towards that.
The president noted that disarmament is impossible without the operation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Within the innovative project Abolish Testing: Our Mission any resident of the planet can sign the online-petition.
In general, this project should be considered as a new example of public diplomacy.
At one time the anti-nuclear movement of Nevada-Semipalatinsk became a successful example of public diplomacy
and Kazakhstans trademark; this project might also be successful.
The anti-nuclear forum in Astana might be a prototype
of an international inter-parliamentary assembly on nuclear disarmament.
We might use the potential of regional entities such as CICMA to promote a nuclear-free world.
Moreover, in his speech the president pointed out the need for international guarantees of security for the states
which participate in regional nuclear-free zones.
At the same time, equal access to peaceful nuclear technologies doesnt mean employing double-standards and exceptions.
President Nazarbayev said that one of the bases for a future nuclear-free world should be transparency;
and Kazakhstan is a bright example of it.