NEW YORK, 2 AUGUST – “We cannot overlook in this Assembly the implications that the unprovoked aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has had in terms of challenge to the rules based on international order and of breach of international law. It is also our duty to condemn the intimidating use of nuclear rhetoric by a nuclear-weapon state associated with the invasion of a non-nuclear-weapon state; the betrayal of the security assurances given at the time of Ukraine’s accession to the NPT; and the threat posed to Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructures”, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Maurizio Massari, said today to the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Italy believes in the ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world and fully supports disarmament efforts in accordance with Article VI of the Treaty, Ambssador Massari said. For Italy the Treaty is a cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, as an essential component of nuclear disarmament efforts and as a key component of multilateral architecture. The Ambassador recalled Italy’s general priorities at the Conference: reaffirming the central and lasting role of NTP in the multilateral architecture; supporting the full implementation of the commitments undertaken by all Parties; make concrete progress towards achieving the objectives of disarmament and non-proliferation enshrined in the Treaty.
On the side-lines of the Conference, Massari met with IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi. In his message to the Assembly, the Italian Ambassador noted that the IAEA Global Safeguards Agreement, together with the Additional Protocol, remains a central component of NTP and a key assurance for international security: ” The IAEA’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, together with the Additional Protocol, remains a fundamental insurance for our security. The Agency’s system of safeguards is crucial to ensure the peaceful character of nuclear activities and – as Director General Grossi reminded us yesterday – it is an indispensable mean to preserving and fostering global security”, said Massari.
