Russian Federation ratifies Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
The Russian Federation has deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Russia is the fifty-eighth State signatory to have ratified the Treaty and the twenty-ninth State of the group of 44 States named in the Treaty whose ratification is necessary for the Treaty to enter into force.
"We welcome the fact that Russia has formally completed its ratification procedures. This is an important step that brings the CTBT closer to entry into force," said Wolfgang Hoffmann, Executive Secretary of the Vienna-based Preparatory Commission for the organization that will oversee compliance with the Treaty. The Russian Federation is hosting 31 of the 321 stations of the international network of monitoring facilities that the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is establishing or upgrading to verify adherence to the Treaty.
Work on establishing all the Russian stations is well advanced. Under the CTBT, the network of monitoring stations - known as the International Monitoring System (IMS) - will record data using four technologies. The stations will be capable of registering vibrations from a possible nuclear explosion underground, in the seas and in the air, as well as detecting radioactive debris released into the atmosphere. The stations will transmit the data via satellite to the International Data Centre (IDC) within the Preparatory Commission in Vienna, where the data will be used to detect, locate and characterize events. The IMS data and IDC products will be made available to the signatory States for final analysis.
The 58 States that have ratified the Treaty are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uzbekistan. Under Article XIV of the CTBT, to enter into force the Treaty has to be ratified by 44 designated States that formally participated in the work of the 1996 Conference on Disarmament and that possess nuclear power or research reactors.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion anywhere in the world. Drafted in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September 1996, the Treaty was opened for signature on 24 September 1996 at the United Nations in New York.
For further information on the CTBTO, please see www.ctbto.org or contact:
Annika Thunborg
Chief, Public Information
T +43 1 26030-6375
E press@ctbto.org
M +43 699 1459 6375