Russia is ready to promote the swift entering into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday at a meeting with Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Robert Floyd.
"Lavrov stressed that Russia considers the CTBT as a unique instrument of international law, which has no alternative. He reiterated Russia’s principled policy toward promoting the soonest enforcement of this treaty," the Russian foreign ministry said.
According to the ministry, the sides discussed issues of cooperation between Russia and the CTBTO Preparatory Commission. "The sides stressed the importance of further efforts toward the CTBT’s universalization in the interests of international peace and security," the ministry stressed.
The CTBTO Preparatory Commission was set up under a resolution adopted at a New York meeting of the treaty signatories in 1996. The commission is tasked to promote the Treaty and build up the verification regime so that it is operational when the Treaty comes into force.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty bans nuclear explosions, including for peaceful purposes. The ban applies to nuclear tests everywhere: in the atmosphere, in outer space, underwater, and underground. The Treaty has been signed by 183 countries, including Russia, but has not yet come into force because it has not been ratified by the United States and some other nations.
