India, France hold dialogue on disarmament, non-proliferation of weapons

The two sides also discussed space security, conventional weapons, including AI in the military domain, lethal autonomous weapon systems, and multilateral export control regimes.

"India-France Bilateral Dialogue on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation was held on 4 March 2024 in New Delhi. The two sides discussed developments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation relating to the nuclear, chemical, biological domains, as well as outer space security, conventional weapons including AI in the military domain and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, and multilateral export control regimes," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.

Meanwhile, disarmament is one of the priority areas for India in the 78th UNGA session. New Delhi aims to take forward its pragmatic and constructive approach at the First Committee and UN Disarmament Commission by engaging with all partners on issues related to outer space, cyberspace, etc. The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly was opened on September 5, 2023.

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is a multilateral disarmament forum established in 1979. It operates under the auspices of the United Nations and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The primary objective of the CD is to negotiate and promote arms control and disarmament agreements.

The presidency of the Conference on Disarmament rotates among its member states, with each president serving a four-week term. The presidency rotates according to the English alphabetical order of the names of member states. During its presidency, a member state has the responsibility of facilitating discussions and negotiations on disarmament issues.

India has been a strong supporter of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. India's stance is influenced by a number of factors, including its historical experiences, strategic interests, and desire for international recognition.

India is steadfast in its commitment to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament. As a responsible nuclear weapon state, India is committed, as per its nuclear doctrine, to maintaining credible minimum deterrence with the posture of no-first-use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon states, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. (ANI)