Americas

Americas

NATO deputy chief says Chicago declaration "important first step"

14 June 2012 21:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said here on Thursday that NATO’s recent Chicago Summit Declaration was "a first step but a very meaningful step and robust response to the threat of nuclear proliferation", APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Vershbow was speaking via video link at NATO’s annual conference on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

The Chicago Declaration on May 21 reaffirmed members’ commitment to the transatlantic alliance, charted the way forward in military operations in Afghanistan, and took steps to ensure the alliance has the capabilities to deal with a range of threats including those from WMD, terrorism, and biological and chemical weapons. It also made commitments to strengthen the organization’s partnerships.

Vershbow told delegates at the two-day "outreach event", which includes attendees not only from non-members as well as other international organizations, that NATO continues to reach out to other organizations involved in tackling arms control and weapons proliferation such as the UN and EU, as well as key global partners including Russia.

"We must do more to encourage a new mindset of cooperation," Vershbow added.

In his opening address, Hungarian foreign minister Janos Martonyi stressed the importance of "cooperative security" as a means of enhancing security and contributing to arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament.

"My firm belief is that the threat posed by WMD and their means of delivery can only be tackled effectively if members of the international community work together," Martonyi said.

The conference also schedules to discuss the future of multilateral non-proliferation regimes and initiatives, current regional proliferation threats and challenges in the Middle East and in Asia, NATO’s contribution to international efforts in the area of WMD arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.