ALMATY – Kazakhstan has officially assumed the chairmanship of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia for 2026, following the annual consultative meeting of the treaty’s member states.
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Representatives of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs took part in the meeting, where participating countries reviewed activities carried out in 2025 and outlined plans for the year ahead.
Discussions also focused on strengthening coordination among Central Asian states within the framework of the United Nations, reported the ministry’s press service on Jan. 30.
As the new chair, Kazakhstan highlighted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Semipalatinsk Treaty in 2006. The Kazakh delegation emphasized the importance of enhanced cooperation in global disarmament and non-proliferation forums, including the Review Conferences of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and engagement related to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Foreign ministries of the Central Asian states are expected to hold commemorative events throughout the year to mark the anniversary of the treaty.
The Semipalatinsk Treaty was signed on Sept. 8, 2006, in the city of Semei (formerly Semipalatinsk) by Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It entered into force on March 21, 2009, after ratification by all five countries.
The treaty is considered unique among nuclear-weapon-free zone agreements. It created the first such zone in the Northern Hemisphere in a region that had previously been used for nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining for military purposes. The zone also has the distinction of sharing the longest land borders with two nuclear-weapon states, underscoring its strategic and symbolic significance in global non-proliferation efforts.
