The Ambassador delivered a national statement underlining that Russia’s use of force in Ukraine gravely violated international law and agreements in the field of disarmament, Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Bahtijors Hasans noted that Russia would be held accountable under international law for its actions. At the same time, Belarus was strongly warned against getting involved in the military action against Ukraine. The Ambassador reaffirmed Latvia’s support for the multilateral disarmament system with the Conference on Disarmament at its core.
Among the Conference's main aims are "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament" and "Prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters."
Within hours of the speech, Russia was shelling a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, demonstrating its total disregard for nuclear risk.
The Conference on Disarmament was formed in 1979 as the single multilateral disarmament negotiation forum of the international community. 65 countries currently participate in the work of the Conference, and other UN member states are being invited on a yearly basis. Latvia takes part in the work of the Conference on Disarmament each year. The CD meets in an annual session, which is divided into three parts of 10, 7, and 7 weeks, respectively.