Support for verifiable nuclear disarmament remains firm: India

India has said its support for global, non-discriminatory, verifiable nuclear disarmament in a time-bound manner remains firm.
Nuclear disarmament can be achieved by "a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework that is global and non-discriminatory", said Pankaj Sharma, Joint Secretary (D&ISA) at the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, in Mexico City.
The Treaty of Tlatelolco is the conventional name given to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He said, "India's support for global, non-discriminatory, verifiable nuclear disarmament in a time bound manner remains firm."

"Reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines, with the aim of increasing restraints on the use of nuclear weapons can be an essential first step," Sharma added.
"Our initiatives in the UN General Assembly as well as the Conference on Disarmament (CD) reflect our sincerity in seeking peace and security through the pursuit of a world without weapons of mass destruction."

"The Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention are worthy examples of global non-discriminatory treaties for the complete elimination of the respective categories of weapons of mass destruction," he said.
India hopes that the Conference on Disarmament, the appropriate forum for negotiations on nuclear disarmament, can commence work towards this goal as soon as possible.

"As a nuclear power, India conveys its unambiguous assurances to fully respect the status of the zone of application of the Treaty of Tlatelolco," he said.
"As a founder member of the IAEA and as a country possessing advanced nuclear technologies, India believes that predictable access to nuclear energy would be critical to promote global economic development and combat climate change. We will be pleased to collaborate with the Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco to this end.