Sri Lankas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath states that Sri Lanka supports legally binding Negative Security Assurances for non-nuclear states and advocates for the facility of Nuclear Weapon-Free Zones, particularly in the Middle East.He made these remarks while participating in the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Highlighting the existing dangers to International Humanitarian Law, the Minister likewise stressed the need to restore rely on multilateral procedures amid geopolitical tensions.Reaffirming Sri Lankas longstanding commitment to disarmament, he mentioned the countrys accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 2023.
Raising issues over emerging hazards, such as expert system in weaponry and the militarization of outer space, he added that Sri Lanka supports negotiations for a lawfully binding instrument to ban lethal self-governing weapons systems and to prevent an arms race in outer space.