Kazakhstan concluded its chairmanship in the CANWFZ

Nur-Sultan - Bishkek, November 24, 2020 - Bishkek recently hosted the regular annual consultative meeting of the member states of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone Treaty (CANWFZ) at the level of directors of relevant departments of foreign ministries.

At the meeting, the delegation of Kazakhstan was briefed about the results of the work that it carried out as a Chairman of the CANWFZ in 2019-2020. It was noted that it is particularly important to further institutionalize the CANWFZ, enhance interaction between nuclear-weapon-free zones and consolidate the efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Kazakhstan informed the meeting about the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on January 22, 2021 and urged CANWFZ partners to join it. 

The participants of the meeting noted the fruitful work of the member states within the framework of the treaty  and discussed plans to promote joint initiatives at the upcoming fourth Conference of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia and the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 2021. The participants also discussed the prospects for cooperation between the CANWFZ and the African Commission on Nuclear Energy and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The next consultation meeting will be held in Dushanbe in 2021.