The foreign ministers of the five Central Asian States--Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan--signed a treaty establishing a Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (CANWFZ) on September 8, 2006.  The signing of the treaty went forward despite objections by the United States, Great Britain, and France. The new zone joins four others covering Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Africa. To a greater extent than the previous zones, the one in Central Asia will showcase a commitment to nuclear disarmament by a group of states which previously had nuclear weapons on their territory and continue to live in a nuclear-armed neighborhood.  Surrounded by Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian, and Israeli nuclear weapons, and housing Russian and U.S. military bases, the new zone will serve as a powerful example of nonproliferation--an important antidote and positive counter-example to Iranian and North Korean nuclear brinkmanship. At the signing ceremony, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymoshomart Tokayev underlined the symbolic significance of the new zone, stating: "The countries of our region declared a firm commitment to the principles of disarmament and nonproliferation. This is our contribution to ensuring global security."

Historical Documents

	Updated September 2006