Kazakhstan’s historic action made a safer world for all

Since nuclear weapons testing began on 16 July 1945, nearly 2,000 such tests have taken place. In the early days of nuclear testing little consideration was given to its devastating effects on human life, let alone the dangers of nuclear fallout from atmospheric tests, writes Colin Stevens.

Hindsight and history have shown the terrifying and tragic effects of nuclear weapons testing, especially when controlled conditions go awry, and in light of the far more powerful and destructive nuclear weapons that exist today. A few countries, though, have gone the extra mile and actually taken proactive steps to rid the world of nuclear weapons and they notably include Kazakhstan. On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests.

It is a little known fact that it was Kazakhstan that came up with the idea for the international day. After gaining an independence in 1991, Kazakhstan abandoned the world’s fourth most destructive nuclear weapons arsenal inherited from the Soviet Union, and on August 29, 1991, it closed the largest Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, which was the most significant contribution to strengthening the non-proliferation regime.

The closure of the plant was of historical importance not only for Kazakhstan, but also for all mankind. The 2009 UN resolution called for increasing awareness and education “about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.” The resolution was initiated by Kazakhstan, together with a large number of sponsors and cosponsors with a view to commemorating the closure of the Semipalatinsk site.

The main mechanism for eradicating nuclear weapons testing is the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996. To date, 184 countries have signed the treaty and 168 have ratified it. For the Treaty to enter into force, it must be ratified by those states with significant nuclear capabilities. Ahead of this weekend’s International Day, UN secretary general António Guterres says, “The legacy of nuclear testing is nothing but destruction. The CTBT is vital to ensuring there are no more victims; it is also essential to advancing nuclear disarmament. On the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, I reiterate my call for all states that have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Treaty, especially those whose ratification is needed for the Treaty’s entry into force. In a world of rising tensions and divisions, our collective security depends on it.”

Guterres has also expressed gratitude to Nazarbayev, the first President of Kazakhstan, for his commitment to this cause. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the former long-time Kazak leader, is seen as having played a key role in thrusting his country to the very forefront of global efforts to renounce nuclear weapons. This is important as it was perfectly within the realm of possibility that Kazakhstan could have pursued these, as they were where many of the Soviet weapons were tested and held.

The process began with the official decree to close the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, on August 29 1991 although the initial moves were actually first discussed and undertaken in 1989, while Kazakhstan was still under the USSR’s umbrella. Nazarbayev may have understood that the acquisition and retaining of nuclear weapons would have had a paradoxically destabilizing effect on the already shaky relationships in the region.

Being the site of so many tests probably reinforced the understanding in Nazarbayev’s mind of the destructive potential of these terrible weapons. Kazakhstan signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996 with another important milestone coming in 2009, when the UN adopted a resolution put forth by Nazarbayev himself to designate August 29 as International Day against Nuclear Tests.

ECR party Executive Director Richard Milsom told this website: “Kazakhstan peacefully denuclearized and has become a global champion of non-proliferation. He has helped ensure the country continues to be balanced between powers and acts as an independent peace broker.”

Latvian Socialist MEP Andris Ameriks, a member of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, also told EU Reporter: “One of the most valuable steps for the whole world has been the peaceful denuclearisation of the Kazakhstan, which shows the right way to go and way for other countries having nuclear weapons.”

Further comment comes from Matthew Neapole, a researcher at the Brussels based European Institute for Asian Studies, who also credits Kazakhstan for its role in making the world a safer place. He told this site: “One thing that is less widely known but equally relevant is that Kazakhstan renounced nuclear weapons. “Kazakhstan, in doing so, has demonstrated an unmistakable concern for the welfare of its own people, and the people of the world.”

It is the hope of the UN that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated. Until then, there is a need to observe International Day against Nuclear Tests as the world works towards promoting peace and security. On 26 August, an event dedicated to the International Day against Nuclear Tests was held in the format of a video conference. It was attended by Guterres, the President of the UN General Assembly M.Bande and the Executive Secretary of the Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization CTBTO L. Zerbo. It is also expected that Nazarbayev and former president of Finland T. Halonen will be officially awarded a new unique status – CTBTO Champions.

Kazakhstan’s historic actions on disarmament over the years are widely seen as having made a safer world for all. However, nothing can play as crucial a role in avoiding a nuclear war or nuclear terrorist threat as the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Bringing an irreversible end to nuclear explosions will prevent the further development of nuclear weapons.

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