Need for meaningful dialogue among nuclear-armed countries to build trust: Khurshid

Asserting that nuclear disarmament could be achieved through a step-by-step process, underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework, which was both global and non-discriminatory, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said there is a need for meaningful dialogue among nuclear-armed countries to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines.

Addressing a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament here, Khurshid said: "India remains convinced that its security would be strengthened in a nuclear weapon free and non-violent world order. This conviction is based both on principle as well as pragmatism. We believe that the goal of nuclear disarmament can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework that is global and non-discriminatory."

"There is need for a meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines. Progressive steps are needed for the de-legitimization of nuclear weapons paving the way for their complete elimination," he added.

He said that as a responsible nuclear power, India had a credible minimum deterrence policy and would not participate in a nuclear arms race.

"We are prepared to negotiate a global No-First-Use treaty and our proposal for a Convention banning the use of nuclear weapons remains on the table. As we see no contradiction between nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, we are also committed to working with the international community to advance our common objectives of non-proliferation, including through strong export controls and membership of the multilateral export regimes," he added.

He further said that he Non-Aligned Movement, of which India is a proud founding member, has proposed today the early commencement of negotiations in the CD on nuclear disarmament.

"We support this call. Without prejudice to the priority we attach to nuclear disarmament, we also support the negotiation in the CD of a non-discriminatory and internationally verifiable treaty banning the future production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices that meets India's national security interests. It should be our collective endeavor to return the CD, which remains the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, to substantive work as early as possible," he added.

Asserting that this meeting is proof that the international community remains concerned about the catastrophic consequences of nuclear war and the lack of progress in moving toward global nuclear disarmament, Khurshid said: "In recent years, many initiatives both official and non-governmental have been launched in order to make the vision of a nuclear weapon free world a reality."

"Simultaneously, there has been a welcome and well-deserved focus on preventing access by non-state actors, in particular terrorists, to weapons of mass destruction and related materials. The recent use of chemical weapons in Syria point to an urgent need for the international community to strengthen restraints on use of weapons of mass destruction and in particular preventing their access to non state actors and terrorists, he said.

"We hope that our discussions would galvanize political will and help channel our collective efforts towards the noble goal of ridding the world of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction," he added.