Events

MINSK, 1 August (BelTA) - The first round of the partnership review of the status of implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 in the format 2 + 1 (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan + Belarus) will be held in Minsk on 2-5 August, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The event is held with the support of the OSCE Secretariat, 1540 Committee and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. It is expected that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will send a joint delegation composed of representatives of relevant ministries and departments responsible for the implementation of the resolution.

This review is the second event of its kind both in the OSCE region and in the world and the first meeting in a tripartite format. The essence of the partnership review is to exchange visits of experts on the subject of implementation of Resolution 1540 with any interested state. The purpose of the joint review is to assess the progress in the implementation of the resolution, exchange experiences and national practices. On the basis of this work the countries will prepare a joint report, which will then be presented to 1540 Committee and the UN Security Council.

On 28 April 2004, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1540 (2004) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter which affirms that the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery constitutes a threat to international peace and security. The resolution obliges States, inter alia, to refrain from supporting by any means non-State actors from developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their delivery systems.

Resolution 1540 (2004) imposes binding obligations on all States to adopt legislation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and their means of delivery, and establish appropriate domestic controls over related materials to prevent their illicit trafficking. It also encourages enhanced international cooperation on such efforts. The resolution affirms support for the multilateral treaties whose aim is to eliminate or prevent the proliferation of WMDs and the importance for all States to implement them fully.