France remains committed to preserving the NPT (non-proliferation treaty) and contributing to its next review, the French presidency said in a statement that preceded a pledge by the five atomic powers to never fight a nuclear war.
"For the past two years, France has been coordinating the work of the five nuclear-armed states in the run-up to the next NPT review conference... France is ready to make a positive contribution to the 10th NPT review conference and preserve the authority and supremacy of this treaty and its three pillars: nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use of the atom," it said.
The treaty entered into force in 1970 and has been reviewed every five years. The latest conference was scheduled to take place in New York in 2020 but it was delayed twice due to the pandemic. The meeting is expected to convene sometime in 2022.
Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States released a joint declaration a day before the conference was due to happen to affirm that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought" and pledged commitment to their obligations under the non-proliferation treaty. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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