Mr. President

Thank you very much.

My delegation conveys its appreciation and support for your Presidency’s tireless efforts to keep the CD moving.

We also thank you for the consultations and reach out efforts through the regional group earlier this week.

During the last Plenary, my delegation has offered its priorities, vision and views on the zero draft for a programme of work for the CD’s 2022 session, including on the need to reflect the CD’s common understandings of the past in the draft and for the Conference to define the clear mandates for the Subsidiary Bodies as per Rule 23 . Furthermore, as has also been opined by many delegations, and in the last Plenary, an FMCT is the most mature subject for commencement of negotiations at the Conference.

In our view, the Conference should seek to preserve the gains of past decisions, while making progress on its agenda items to achieve consensus on a Programme of Work that would allow the commencement of substantive work.

We sincerely hope that a revised draft for a PoW would consider India’s views and concerns.

And finally before I conclude Mr President, it is not that we are bogged down by details in determining the mandate. The mandates have guided the Conference well in the past. As a distinguished colleague said in a past Plenary, creative drafting cannot help much. What is required is political will, clear and simple. Political will will get the CD moving.

We look forward to work with your Presidency in a spirit of constructive engagement to get the CD to commence substantive effort.

I thank you Mr. President.