- Tibor Tóth and Amb. Ünal Çeviköz at a press conference organized during the workshop.
“First and foremost, the essential role of the CTBT in curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and advancing nuclear disarmament, thereby significantly contributing to the enhancement of international peace and security, should continue to be promoted. Its entry into force would strengthen the international security architecture built upon the foundation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).” In an address welcoming participants to the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Cross Regional Workshop for International Cooperation, Ambassador Ünal Çeviköz, Deputy Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Turkey, urged the nine countries that have not yet ratified the Treaty to do so in order for it to enter into force. The nine remaining States are China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States of America.
Turkey’s support for global disarmament
Çeviköz outlined the importance of the CTBT and the political and technical progress that has been made since Turkey last hosted a CTBTO International Cooperation workshop in 2001. He also stressed Turkey’s participation in all international non-proliferation instruments and export control regimes and underlined the fact that “Turkey favours global, overall disarmament and supports all efforts in the field of sustaining international security through arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament.”
Turkey was among the 71 countries which signed the CTBT on the day it was first opened for signature on 24 September 1996 and ratified the Treaty on 16 February 2000. It also hosts one primary seismic station, which is part of the 337 facilities comprising the CTBT’s International Monitoring System (IMS).
32 States participate in cross-regional workshop in Istanbul from 1-2 July 2008
- Workshop participants in Istanbul.
The workshop on “Twelve Years of the CTBT: Achievements and Perspectives” brought together representatives from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference were also represented at the workshop. Delegates from both ratifying and non-ratifying States were in attendance. Previous international cooperation workshops have been held in all geographic regions identified by the Treaty, with the most recent workshop having been held in Samoa in May 2008.
