Indonesia Ratifies Nuclear Weapon Prohibition Bill
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22 November 2023 20:14 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Bill during a Plenary Meeting of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi hoped that other countries will follow Indonesia's steps soon.
"I hope that more countries will ratify the TPNW to put pressure on nuclear-possessing countries and also to create strong anti-nuclear weapons norms," Retno said to media on Tuesday.
According to the minister, this ratification is a concrete result of mutual efforts between the government and parliament to maintain international peace.
"Since the beginning, Indonesia has been an active participant in initiating the TPNW. [Indonesia] was one of the vice presidents in the negotiating conference of TPNW, representing Asia-Pacific," she said.
TPNW has been signed by 93 countries, and ratified by 69 countries, including six ASEAN countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Phillippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Indonesia was among the first fifty countries to sign the treaty.
Retno highlighted three important points of Indonesia's TPNW Bill ratification. First, it emphasized that the possession and use of nuclear weapons cannot be justified for any reason.
Second, this law will ensure the right to utilize nuclear energy for peace purposes without discrimination. And third, to complement the existing multilateral instrument on nuclear weapons.
"With this ratification, our national legal infrastructure will also become stronger to encourage international peace," she added.
The TPNW Law will complement several international instruments earlier ratified by Indonesia, namely the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ).
According to the minister, Indonesia is committed to mainstreaming the agenda of comprehensive nuclear disarmament.
NABIILA AZZAHRA A.
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