Latvia's national statement at the 64th session of the CTBTO PrepCom

Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

64th session

Vienna, 24 June 2025

Delivered by the Permenent Representative of Latvia Ambassador Raimonds Oškalns

Thank you, Chair,

Latvia fully aligns itself with the statement delivered by Poland on behalf of the European Union, and would like to make the following remarks.

Chair,

At the outset, I congratulate you on assuming the position of the Chair of the PrepCom and thank you for your continued leadership. You can count on our full support.

We thank the Executive Secretary for his opening statement, and are grateful to the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) and to you, Chair, for the documents prepared for this Session, including the Initial Draft of the 2026-2027 Programme and Budget Proposals.

Latvia attaches great importance to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). We remain committed to its entry into force and call on all Annex 2 States, that have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the CTBT without further delay.

Likewise, and not least important, is the practical contribution of the Treaty to international non-proliferation architecture through a fully functioning Treaty verification regime.

Effective Sustainment Strategy of the International Monitoring System (IMS) remains our main collective responsibility.

It is essential to ensure high levels of data availability and quality while pursuing a balanced budget approach, in line with Scenario C (reduced impact-medium risk) and its variants. In order to achieve it in ever tighter fiscal conditions, we must remain mindful of opportunities for efficiencies and cost-saving. We express our hope that the PrepCom will soon be able to come to a decision on this crucial issue and reiterate the overall importance for State parties to pay their assessed contributions on time and in full.

Reflecting on something raised by Executive Secretary in his opening statement, today

I would like to take this opportunity to announce that concrete steps are taken to establish a CTBTO National Data Centre in Latvia. The NDC will be hosted by the University in Latvia.

We express our appreciation for the leadership of the Executive Secretary and the PTS. Initiatives like the National Data Centres-for-All (NDCs4All) make IMS data and IDC products more accessible, and thus foster greater inclusivity and technical capabilities across the entire CTBT constituency.

In conclusion, we are supporting continued technological innovation to enhance future verification tools. In this context we appreciate and encourage CTBTO’s focus on scientific collaboration platforms such as the Science and Technology conference (SnT). They allow for ongoing integration of cutting-edge scientific research and emerging technologies into our work. It is a way to enhance the capacities of smaller States parties and experts in contributing to Treaty’s verification system, while pursuing broader goals of transparency, trust and international security. We are looking forward to the SnT 2025 edition in September.

Thank you, Chair.