India, UK hold consultations on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

The two sides discussed developments in the field of disarmament, as per a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"The two sides discussed developments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation relating to nuclear, chemical and biological domains, as well as regional non-proliferation issues, outer space security-related matters, conventional weapons including AI in the military domain and multilateral export control regimes," the statement said.

"The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs, while the UK delegation was led by Stephen Lillie, Director for Defence and International Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office," the statement added.

The UK works within the NPT to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, promote cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and advance nuclear disarmament, a statement by the UK government says.

Since the end of the Cold War, the UK dismantled their tactical and air-delivered nuclear weapons, becoming the only Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) with a single weapon system. They also reduced the role of nuclear weapons in security strategy, and significantly reduced our total stockpile of nuclear warheads.

The UK champions the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) international safeguards system including by encouraging all States to ratify and fully implement safeguards agreements, as per UK Government.

The NPT is an international treaty which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and pursue negotiations in good faith on disarmament measures, as per the UK Government.

This treaty is important because it contains commitments made by China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. The NPT refers to these countries as the Nuclear Weapon States (NWS). It came into force in 1970. (ANI)