Lithuania fully supports anti-nuclear initiatives of N. Nazarbayev - Lithuanian Ambassador

The proposal of the Kazakh leader that the world community should create a new universal treaty on general horizontal and vertical nonproliferation of nuclear weapon has drawn special attention. Today it is more than relevant.

It is necessary to note that in due time the omnipotent totalitarian apparatus which made experiments with nuclear explosions did not make appropriate conclusions from the tragic consequences of bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; it did not take into consideration the irretrievable destruction inflicted to the people and the land of Kazakhstan. The movement headed by well-known poet and public figure Olzhas Suleimenov promoted the termination of nuclear tests and beginning of restoration of quiet life.

Due to the efforts of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev there were taken timely measures on phasing out of influence of nuclear tests on the people living in this area.

Twenty years later a million of civilians still endures the tragedy of those tests. Centuries will past until the area of 300,000 sq km of the former Semipalatinsk testing site recover from the poisoning caused by hundreds of land and underground nuclear explosions.

In my opinion every sensible person should understand a scale of that tragedy and support the initiative of Kazakh President N. Nazarbayev on signing of the treaty on common nonproliferation of nuclear weapon. The Lithuanian Republic fully supports the initiative.

Could you please comment on the initiative of the Head of Kazakhstan "to announce August 29, the day when Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site was closed 18 years ago, as the World Day of Refusal from Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction. We are ready to submit this offer for consideration of the United Nations Organization".

I think that the initiative and the idea concerning the announcing the 29th of August as the World Day of Refusal from Nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction is on time, particularly in the light of the recent North Korea's nuclear tests. I hope that considering this initiative the UN will make appropriate decision. It is impossible to forget nuclear disasters of the past. Our descendants should know and remember those tragedies their parents and forefathers suffered from and they should not admit this to happen again.

In Semey N. Nazarbayev also expressed wish that "the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in our country should inform the leadership of their states of aspiration of the Kazakhstani people to continue the policy of total elimination of the nuclear threat to our Planet". What do you undertake to inform your country about it?

By force of duty of our embassy the Lithuanian Government is always informed of the last important events taking place in Kazakhstan. We consider the steps of the country aimed at complete destruction of the nuclear threat as important and responsible measures of the Kazakhstani leadership. These initiatives reflect care of the country, nation and mankind as a whole.

The Kazakh President also mentioned in his speech that «the problem of the international security becomes one of the main priorities of Kazakhstan's forthcoming chairmanship in the OSCE». Will this problem be relevant within Lithuania's presidency in OSCE in 2011?

The year of Kazakhstan's presidency in OSCE is also important for Lithuania. Our countries have already started to work together in different formats including cooperation within the OSCE Troika, and arrangement for joint work in the format of "Dvoika".

The international security is a long term issue. One country can not address all issues, which had been raised for many years, within its presidency in the international organization. Thus consideration of the most important issues on the OSCE agenda will pass to Lithuania as well.

For this purpose the foreign affairs ministries of Lithuania and Kazakhstan hold joint work. Besides the countries conduct joint trainings of experts which to be an executive element in the course of chairmanship in OSCE and a number of joint initiatives. 

All these steps give us hope for necessary acceptability and continuation of all important initiatives of the OSCE chair countries.