AUSTRIA, January 3 - I welcome yesterday’s Joint Statement by the five recognised Nuclear-Weapon States, namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, affirming that a nuclear conflict cannot be won, and must never be fought under any circumstances,

Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said. He stressed that “in a period of heightened geopolitical tensions, this statement is particularly important.”

The Joint Statement reiterates a central and fundamental principle underpinning the need for nuclear disarmament, one that was first articulated at the Reykjavik Summit of 1986 by then-President of the United States Ronald Reagan and his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev. Recent scientific studies have shown that the humanitarian repercussions of a nuclear war would in fact prove even more catastrophic and wide-ranging than what was believed during the Cold War. The risk of mistakes, miscalculations, or accidents as a result of technical or human error also remains considerable. With this in mind, preventing the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances whatsoever must remain an absolute priority for the international community, as must taking urgent action to eliminate the inherent risks these weapons pose.

Joint statements are important, but words must be backed up by concrete action. It is time we finally made considerable progress on nuclear disarmament in accordance with our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Unfortunately, events are moving in the wrong direction. Moreover, we must not forget that the principle of nuclear deterrence is based on real and permanent threats to use these weapons of mass destruction. This means that the only way of eliminating the global danger posed by nuclear weapons is to eliminate the weapons themselves. This is the thinking and motivation behind the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), an initiative in which Austria has been heavily involved,

Foreign Minister Schallenberg said.

The Foreign Minister concluded his remarks by re-stating Austria’s commitment to strengthening the provisions of the TPNW and progressing the discussion on nuclear disarmament.