Ashraf AboArafe
Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates’ Affairs, participated in the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, held on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
In his statement, the Minister highlighted the importance of observing this day to reaffirm the grave threat posed by nuclear weapons to international peace and security. He expressed Egypt’s full support for the positions of the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Group, and the Arab Group, all of which call for the eradication of this existential danger.
Dr. Abdelatty warned against the ongoing stalemate in advancing nuclear disarmament, and the renewed threats of nuclear use, citing in particular irresponsible Israeli statements regarding the possible use of nuclear weapons in Gaza, where civilians already endure dire humanitarian conditions. He strongly condemned the systematic starvation and forced displacement policies in the Strip, denouncing them as unprecedented violations of international law and international humanitarian law.
The Minister reaffirmed Egypt’s steadfast commitment to achieving the universality of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), especially in the Middle East, as the sole safeguard against the risks of nuclear weapons. He stressed that the 1995 Review and Extension Conference resolution on establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East remains an integral part of the indefinite extension package of the NPT. The indefinite extension, he underlined, does not grant nuclear-weapon states the right to retain their arsenals indefinitely, but rather obliges them—morally, legally, and under the treaty itself—to dismantle their nuclear weapons in a verifiable and irreversible manner.
Dr. Abdelatty further stressed the need for nuclear-armed states to take concrete, practical steps toward disarmament. Such measures, he said, are essential for creating the conditions for the success of the 11th NPT Review Conference, especially after 15 years have passed since the adoption of its last consensus outcome document. Achieving progress in this regard would not only restore confidence among member states but also reinforce multilateralism as an effective mechanism to safeguard international peace and security.
