Ambassador Tomaso Marchegiani addressed the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly during the debate on nuclear disarmament, reaffirming the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons through a gradual, concrete and verifiable process that ensures the security of all. While expressing regret over the lack of agreement at the latest Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), he reaffirmed the Treaty’s central role and the need to reinvigorate dialogue, strengthen mutual trust and reduce nuclear risks.
Italy also condemned Russia’s threatening nuclear rhetoric and the announced deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, stressing the urgency of progress towards the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the launch of negotiations on a ban on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
Finally, Italy expressed serious concern over the nuclear programmes of Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), calling for full compliance with international obligations and, in Iran’s case, full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
