Colombo: Sri Lanka has sent a \u201cstrong message\u201d to its two nuclear-armed neighbours \u2013 India and Pakistan \u2013 by acceding to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), said an official associated with the island nation\u2019s disarmament forum.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the Forum on Disarmament and Development (FDD), the local arm of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said that the move is a huge achievement not only for Sri Lanka but also for the entire South Asian region.<\/p>\n
\u201cSri Lanka is surrounded by two nuclear weapon states which are India and Pakistan. Sri Lanka\u2019s accession to the TPNW sends a strong message to both nuclear-weapon states India and Pakistan,\u201d Vidya Abhayagunawardena, Coordinator for the FDD in Sri Lanka said welcoming the achievement as \u201creaffirmation of Sri Lanka\u2019s long-standing commitment\u201d towards nuclear disarmament in favour of international peace and security.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka also ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in July, 27 years after the Treaty was open for signature at the United Nations, New York.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka was among the first signatories of the CTBT in October 1996, just days after the Treaty opened for signature.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka joined the TPNW bringing the tally of signatories to 93 \u2013 close to half of all states in the world \u2013 and States Parties to 69.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ali Sabry joined the Foreign Minister of the Bahamas to ink the landmark accord at a ceremony in New York during the annual United Nations Leaders\u2019 Week.<\/p>\n
Negotiated in 2017 and in force since 2021, the TPNW is the first multilateral agreement to outlaw nuclear weapons in a comprehensive manner and establish a framework for their elimination and for assisting victims of their use and testing.<\/p>\n
(IANS)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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