ADDRESS BY H.E. MR. KASSYM-JOMART TOKAYEV, THE PRESIDENT OF KAZAKHSTAN, ON THE OCCASION OF AUGUST 29, THE DAY OF CLOSURE OF THE SEMIPALATINSK NUCLEAR TEST SITE
NUR-SULTAN
29 August 2020
ADDRESS BY H.E. MR. KASSYM-JOMART TOKAYEV, THE PRESIDENT OF KAZAKHSTAN, ON THE OCCASION OF AUGUST 29, THE DAY OF CLOSURE OF THE SEMIPALATINSK NUCLEAR TEST SITE
(29 AUGUST IS OBSERVED GLOBALLY ON ANNUAL BASIS AS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 64/35 OF 2009)
Dear compatriots,
Exactly 29 years ago, on August 29, H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – the Leader of the Nation (Elbasy), made an unprecedented historic decision to dismantle nuclear weapons and became one of the leaders of the global movement for the nuclear-weapon-free world. August 29 has been declared the International Day against Nuclear Tests by the United Nations.
Thus, one of the world’s largest nuclear test sites, Semipalatinsk test site (STS or Semipalatinsk-21), also known as "The Polygon", where more than 450 explosions were conducted, the was closed, even despite opposition from the former Soviet leadership. This was a decisive step towards the bright future of the succeeding generations and the long-term future of Kazakhstan. It has also become a bold initiative that has led to the closure of test sites around the world.
It is clear that alongside with gaining our independence, we have chosen the path of peace, with the due adherence to the principles of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This happened because of the political will and prudent policy of the Elbasy.
H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Leader of the Nation (Elbasy), made a significant contribution to ensuring security and peace in the world by making a wise decision to voluntarily close the nuclear test site, for the first time in history.
I have no doubt that this courageous act will forever remain in the world history as its bright page.
Dear fellow Kazakhstanis,
Nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site have caused irreparable damage to human health (humanitarian consequences) and the environment. They caused high morbidity and mortality among the population, and led to intensive radioactive contamination of the adjacent territories. About one and a half million people lived around the landfill with an area of 300 thousand square kilometers. According to experts, more than 500 thousand people amongst them were exposed to direct radiation.
After the closure of the test site, one of the priority tasks for Kazakhstan was the social rehabilitation of people and territories affected by nuclear tests, conducted on our soil more than four decades.
To this end, H.E. Mr. Nursultan A. Nazarbayev the First President of Kazakhstan, signed on 18 December 1992, the Law “On Social Protection of Citizens, Affected by Nuclear Tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site”. It provides for a set of measures for treatment, health improvement, rehabilitation, social protection of the population and socio-economic development of the territory of the former “Polygon” (nuclear test site).
Systematic work in this direction continues. At present, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is considering a further gradual expansion of the range of social guarantees for this category of citizens.
At the same time, ensuring security on the territory of the former test site has become a top priority of our state policy.
Yet, the lack of proper control and open access to the territory of the former nuclear test site significantly increased the risks, related to the potential possibility of violations of the non-proliferation regime, as well as the potential threat of nuclear terrorism.
But the timely measures, taken by our country’s leadership to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, completely averted the threat to the international community from the uncontrolled spread of a powerful nuclear arsenal, located on our soil at early 1990s.
Thus, the test site, from a potential cause of the nuclear crisis, has become centre of scientific research. A multi-level security system was created to ensure reliable protection of hazardous facilities. Seven large projects have been implemented to rehabilitate contaminated areas.
Next year, a comprehensive environmental survey of the entire territory of the former “Polygon” (nuclear test site), with total area of 18.5 thousand square kilometers (which is commensurate with the area of some European states), will be completed,.
In general, scientific, technical and engineering work, which ensured the safe and secure state of the former Semipalatinsk test site, still remains unprecedented in the world.
It should be emphasized that the denuclearization of the former “Polygon” (nuclear test site), took place within the framework of Kazakhstan’s broad cooperation with foreign countries, such as the Russian Federation, the United States and others, as well as international organizations, primarily the IAEA. We express our deep gratitude to our partners for long-term and fruitful cooperation in this strategically important area.
Dear compatriots,
The initiative of H.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - President to close completely and thoroughly the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, as well as other His Excellency’s initiatives on global security, have determined our adherence to peace.
Under the wise leadership of the President, a unique world model of development of the state without WMDs, has been formed. Our country has become an active member of the global movement, which aims to ensure nuclear security all over the world.
On the eve of the 30th Anniversary of our Independence, we can say with confidence that the Republic of Kazakhstan will continue to take an active part in strengthening international security, developing cooperation among states, and resolving global conflicts peacefully.