Central Asian Countries Adopt Joint Statement Marking the 20th Anniversary of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty
The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have adopted a joint statement marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (CANWFZ). The document, timed to the September 8 anniversary, reviews the zone's two decades of operation and articulates the region's unified stance amidst the escalating crisis in global disarmament.
The statement highlights the unique status of the 2006 Semipalatinsk Treaty as the first and only nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Northern Hemisphere that directly borders two nuclear-armed states. The foreign ministers expressed deep concern over the termination of key arms control agreements, the trend toward nuclear arsenal modernization, and the lack of trust in international forums.
The five states called upon the international community to urgently develop new, verifiable arms control mechanisms and to ensure the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the 30th anniversary of the opening of which for signature falls in September 2026. Regarding legal security guarantees, the Central Asian states expressed hope that the United States would soon complete the ratification process for the Protocol on Negative Security Assurances to the CANWFZ Treaty—a protocol already ratified by the other four nuclear-weapon states.
The document places special emphasis on the ongoing institutionalization of the zone and the strengthening of its ties with similar structures in Latin America (OPANAL) and Africa (AFCONE). Ashgabat’s pivotal role in fostering global dialogue is specifically highlighted: the statement welcomes the outcomes of the Treaty states parties' anniversary meeting—held under Turkmenistan’s chairmanship on December 5, 2024—as well as the region's support for initiatives to establish new nuclear-weapon-free zones in other parts of the world.
