The 17th NATO conference on WMD, Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation, co-organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took place in Copenhagen on 6-7 September 2021.
The Copenhagen Conference brought together more than 100 officials from 45 countries. Its participants took part in four panels on preparations for the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), addressing the threat of chemical weapons and the broader missile challenge, and also NATO’s contribution to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
In his opening remarks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Allies must maintain the NPT, which remains the “cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture”. He called on the world community to ensure the success of this year’s NPT Review Conference.
He welcomed the continuation of the New START treaty and stressed the importance of further strengthening and modernizing arms control, especially when “Russia continues to ignore and bend the rules that undermine key treaties”. According to NATO Secretary General, “Russia’s repeated violations led to the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and Moscow’s continued development of new missiles poses challenges to our security”.
For his part, Volodymyr Lakomov, Director of the International Security Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, who took part in the Conference said that today Crimea is used by Russia as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier in Europe”, where it deploys means for nuclear weapons delivery that contradicts international law, in particular the IAEA Statute and NPT.
According to the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, “recent events in the Black Sea region have proved that Russia′s actions in Crimea pose threat not only to Ukraine but to the whole European continent as well as to the countries of Middle East and Northern Africa”. Accordingly, Ukraine intends to submit an updated draft resolution “Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov” for consideration by the UN General Assembly.
The conference also hosted a high-level public event on “Nuclear Arms Control: A New Era?” with the participation of, in particular, James Appathurai, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, Bonnie Jenkins, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Henrik Breitenbauch, Director of the Centre for Military Studies of the Copenhagen University.
Conferences on Weapons of Mass Destruction, Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation have been held by NATO since 2004. This unique event, being held annually in another country, provides an opportunity for senior officials from around the world to informally discuss the threats of weapons of mass destruction, outline current outlook and possible solutions to the challenges facing the world in the field of arms control.