Latvian Ambassador accredited with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna

On 25 October in Vienna, Jānis Zlamets, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Nations, the OSCE and other international organisations presented his credentials to the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Lassina Zerbo.

The Ambassador pledged Latvia’s support for the organisation, which is providing invaluable contribution to disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. During their meeting, the Ambassador and the Executive Secretary discussed issues related to international security and the CTBTO’s cooperation with other international organisations. The officials focused on developments in North Korea, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime.

Latvia’s membership of the CTBTO is implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Radiation Safety Centre of the State Environmental Service, and the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre. Latvia ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 2001.

The mission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization is to prevent countries from carrying out nuclear tests, and an international monitoring system has been put in place for this purpose – about 330 monitoring stations in 82 countries across the globe. Besides the International Atomic Energy Agency, the CTBTO is a key organisation in the non-proliferation regime. Although the Treaty has not yet entered into force, pending ratification by eight countries, the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO and its Provisional Technical Secretariat are active in Paris, providing the states parties with latest information updates on the nuclear tests detected.