Nine countries—US, UK, Russia, France, Israel, India, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Pakistan—owned a total of about 15,395 nuclear weapons as of January 2016, according to a statement released by the European Parliament on Thursday, October 27.
And the deteriorating relations between nuclear-armed nations, such as Pakistan and India or US and Russia, are creating an “even more tense” security environment in the European Union.
Add to this Russia’s threats of using or deploying nuclear weapons to more European territories, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said in a resolution on Thursday’s voting.
The MEPs called on the said nations to reduce and put into storage their nuclear weapons as well as lessen their roles in military doctrines, as they are deeply concerned of the worsening security environment over the EU and outside its neighborhood.
They mentioned the disturbing military exercises in Russia mimicking nuclear weapon use against Poland.
High-ranking officials in Russia, however, claimed of their country’s right to deploy nuclear weaponry in Crimea and nuclear-capable Iskander missile system to Poland, Kaliningrad region, and neighboring Lithuania.
Thursday’s resolution likewise denounced North Korea’s nuclear test conducted on September 9, stating a violation of its international obligations.
They urged North Korea “to refrain from further provocative actions by abandoning its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.”
They further emphasized the need to bolster cooperation, disarmament, and non-proliferation on the peaceful practice of nuclear energy.
The MEPs also welcomed a recommendation of convening a United Nations conference next year to discuss a legally binding instrument in the prohibition of nuclear weapons.
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