Budapest, 14 June 2012

(As prepared for delivery.)

Excellencies, Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to welcome you all on behalf of the Government of Hungary at the Annual NATO Conference on WMD Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

Hungary is proud to host this conference, which has become one of NATO’s most important outreach events. It is my understanding that the conference has gained a lot of reputation in recent years, due largely to the fact that the event is open not only to NATO Allies and partners, but to other interested countries and international organizations as well.

The timing of this unique conference is indeed a fitting one. It takes place just a few weeks after NATO’s Chicago summit. I am sure you all know that the issue of partnerships featured high on the agenda of this summit. The idea of “cooperative security” is one of the core tasks enshrined in NATO’s Strategic Concept. It means that the Alliance will engage actively with its partners to enhance international security by contributing inter alia to arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament.

It is my firm belief that the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, and their means of delivery can only be tackled effectively, if members of the international community work together. Therefore, I see the main goal of this conference in bringing together representatives from all over the world, in an informal setting, where we can freely exchange views on some very demanding WMD-related topics.

I deliberately mentioned “demanding” topics as we continue to face serious proliferation challenges. The weight and significance NATO attributes to these challenges is also reflected in the Chicago Summit Declaration.

This conference provides us with an excellent opportunity to take stock of what NATO should do in the near and distant future to address and counter this significant threat to our common security emanating from several parts of the world.

We may state that the implementation of international agreements and export control regimes slows down the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. However, even as international efforts to curb proliferation may have resulted in a reduced likelihood that WMD weapons might be used by state actors, the risk of such weapons and material to be acquired by terrorist groups continues to be very worrying. Therefore, states have a special responsibility to bear. Biological and chemical weapons - relatively easy to produce but difficult to control - constitute a particularly grave threat. They are more likely to be used in the context of regional conflicts and acts of international terrorism than at a larger scale.

More and more countries are striving to acquire the various means for their delivery of WMD. The heightened interest in developing and fielding ballistic missile technology is a real threat. The spreading of missile technology is indirectly jeopardising security, not only in Europe. This threat convinced NATO to invest in a missile defence system that will contribute to the defence of all European allies. I would like to point out that NATO is not the only actor considering missile defence as an effective contribution to countering the ballistic missile threat.

We have every reason to be deeply worried about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Allow me to highlight some particularly prominent examples:

Iran’s nuclear programme continues to be a serious challenge and threat to international peace and security. We fully share the concerns expressed by the United Nations’ Security Council and call upon Iran, also in our currently held capacity as member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to comply with all international obligations and to fully co-operate with the IAEA. Hungary hopes that the efforts of the E3+3 in seeking a swift diplomatic solution of the Iranian nuclear issue will soon bring tangible results.

We are equally worried by the proliferation activities of the DPRK and condemned its attempted rocket launch on 13 April, 2012.

Let me also mention here another source of concern we share with many: that is the plight of the so-called multilateral disarmament machinery, most notably the Conference on Disarmament, which has not been able to produce any meaningful results with regard to weapons of mass destruction for over a decade. In this regard again, our conference offers a unique opportunity for a frank exchange on the political and institutional challenges we are facing in the field of multilateral disarmament.

Nonetheless, the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit held last March was an important result of our endeavours to strengthen WMD control and nuclear security in particular. We fully subscribe to the call of the Seoul Conference for strengthening the security of nuclear material, by all states concerned, within their borders. By joining the final Communiqué of the Seoul Summit, Hungary also confirmed that it strongly encourages any multilateral endeavours aiming to create an overarching security culture in all areas related to WMD.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation and the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. Since their inception both of them have considerably contributed to diminish the threat of WMD proliferation and their means of delivery. In celebrating these anniversaries however, we must note that further efforts are needed to achieve universal adherence to these instruments.

We well recognize the close connections that exist between terrorist acts and other forms of transnational organized crime, such as the misuse of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and related activities. We echo the commitment made in Chicago to continue to implement NATO’s Strategic-Level Policy for Preventing the Proliferation of WMD and Defending against CBRN threats.

With our limited financial means, we take part in and host various events aiming at raising the awareness of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Hungary also participates in promoting developing regions and countries in their efforts to fight against terrorism. As a prominent example of that, Hungary, in cooperation with different UN actors, such as the UNODC, the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force, the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate and the OSCE, will host the next biannual counter-terrorism conference with a special focus on the Western Balkans and the North African regions.

The agenda of today’s conference is a proper reflection of the multitude and diversity in terms of geography and topics of the WMD issues we need to address and tackle if we want to play our proper part in turning this world into a safer place.

The positions we take at international fora outlined above are in full accordance with the respective provisions of Hungary’s newly adopted National Security Strategy. It stresses, inter alia, our interest in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery, and the capabilities required for their production, in further strengthening the international disarmament process and in an effective worldwide implementation and regulation of arms control.

It also reiterated our consistently held view that for Hungary’s security, multilateral diplomacy and the strengthening of international organisations, regimes and co-operation frameworks, as well as active participation in the latter, constitute the most important means to be used to mitigate the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Our conference today provides us with a good opportunity to reiterate NATO’s important role in effectively countering this threat. Of course, NATO is not party to any non-proliferation regime or treaty, so its role in contributing to the international efforts can be characterised as a “supporting” role. This conference organized jointly with NATO’s WMD Non-proliferation Centre is the perfect example of what such a “supporting” role can be: by providing a forum for assessing the current situation and pointing to the way ahead to follow, I hope we make a helpful, albeit modest, contribution to a safer world and participants will leave Budapest with fresh and useful ideas on how to put these ideas in practice.

Thank you for your attention.

(kormany.hu)