UN Conference on Middle East Zone Free of WMD Adopts Political Declaration – Russian Envoy

The first session of the UN Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) concluded with a political declaration, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said on Saturday.

"UN Conference adopted Political Declaration in which it declared solemn commitment to pursue in an open and inclusive manner the elaboration of a Treaty on WMD free zone in Middle East on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by consensus by the States of the region," Ulyanov wrote on Twitter.

Ulyanov added that the conference invited all Middle Eastern countries to endorse the declaration and join the process.

"The Conference on WMD in Middle East decided that its annual sessions shall be held for a duration of 1 week starting on the third Monday of November of each year, unless otherwise decided. The second annual session of UN Conference on WMD in Middle East will be held on 16-20 November 2020. Until its opening Jordan will remain the President of the Conference and than in accordance with alphabetical order Kuwait will take over the relevant duties," Ulyanov also wrote.

A decision to convene the conference was made by the UN General Assembly in December 2018, when it mandated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to organize the meeting.

The five-day session of the conference began in the UN headquarters in New York on Monday.