Fiftieth Anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco

Statement by Dr. Pankaj Sharma,
Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), 
Ministry of External Affairs, India

Mr. President,
Secretary General, OPANAL,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

My Government would like to thank the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean for the invitation to attend the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. India’s participation in this event reflects our friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. I am particularly pleased to be here in Mexico, a country with which India has a very special and warm bilateral relationship. 

Mr. President,
India's support for global, non-discriminatory, verifiable nuclear disarmament in a time bound manner remains firm. This goal can be achieved by a step by step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework that is global and non-discriminatory. Reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines, with the aim of increasing restraints on the use of nuclear weapons can be an essential first step. Our initiatives in the UN General Assembly as well as the Conference on Disarmament (CD) reflect our sincerity in seeking peace and security through the pursuit of a world without weapons of mass destruction. We applaud the leading role played by the Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco and disarmament intellectuals from the region such as Ambassador Alfonso Garcia Robles in this noble quest.

Mr. President,
The Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention are worthy examples of global non-discriminatory treaties for the complete elimination of the respective categories of weapons of mass destruction. India hopes that the Conference on Disarmament, the appropriate forum for negotiations on nuclear disarmament, can commence work towards this goal as soon as possible. Without prejudice to the priority we attach to nuclear disarmament, India supports the commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty in the CD based on the Shannon Mandate. India was the only  nuclear power to support the Programme of Work presented as CD President in 2015 by Mexico with a view to start negotiations on both these subjects of priority, as well as all other items on the agenda of the CD.

Mr. President,
As a nuclear power, India conveys its unambiguous assurances to fully respect the status of the zone of application of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. Likewise, India fully supports the provisions in the Treaty of Tlatelolco relating to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the application of IAEA safeguards. As a founder member of the IAEA and as a country possessing advanced nuclear technologies, India believes that predictable access to nuclear energy would be critical to promote global economic development and combat climate change. We will be pleased to collaborate with the Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco to this end.

Mr.  President,
In concluding, I would like to convey India’s best wishes for a successful fiftieth anniversary commemoration of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.
I thank you, Mr. President.

Mexico City, 14 February 2017.