Thank you Mr. President,

Allow me to congratulate you on your election and assure you of my delegation’s fullest support. In addition to the statements by the European Union, the NPDI, and the Stockholm Initiative, I would like to make the following remarks.

Mr. President, Excellencies, and distinguished delegates,

In 1968, during a debate on the final draft of the Non-Proliferation Treaty the Dutch representative said: "The text before us is a compromise resulting from lengthy negotiations [...] We ourselves are not blind to its imperfections [...] however, such objections [...] dwindle in the face of the historical moment." This is still valid as we start this review conference. 

We share the concerns of many in this room today. The international security architecture is experiencing immense strain. Crucial agreements that have kept us safe for years are under pressure, have expired, or have been terminated. Russia, as a nuclear-weapon state is waging a devastating war against a non-nuclear neighbor in Europe and routinely threatens to use nuclear weapons. And with the risk of a nuclear arms race, our common goal of a world free of nuclear weapons appears further away than ever. 

Yet, our view of the NPT remains the same as fifty-eight years ago. The Treaty is not perfect. No treaty is. But it is the best we have. And it has proven successful in keeping the number of nuclear-armed states lower than anyone could have imagined at its inception, while supporting the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in a responsible manner. In this context we must, as the Treaty clearly states, “consider […] the devastation that would be visited upon all mankind by a nuclear war and the consequent need to make every effort to avert the danger of such a war and to take measures to safeguard the security of peoples.”

For this reason, the Netherlands will continue to seek balanced and realistic measures on all three pillars of the Treaty during this Review Conference.

First and foremost, we call on nuclear-weapon states to urgently engage in escalation management and to implement risk reduction measures. Progress should also be made on transparency and accountability to reestablish confidence and trust so that work on arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament can be advanced again.
 
Second,  we must progressively reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons altogether, in accordance with Article VI. Given the expiration of the New START Treaty, we call on the three holders of the largest nuclear arsenals — namely, Russia, the United States, and China — to negotiate a follow-up agreement that is fit-for-purpose and verifiable. In this regard, I express our deep concern over China’s rapidly increasing nuclear arsenal and call on China to reverse this expansion and to engage in nuclear arms control talks.

Third, preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons is a necessary condition for a world free of nuclear weapons. In that light, we are deeply concerned by the military escalation in the Middle East and we call on Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA to assure that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. Furthermore, we urge the DPRK to abandon its nuclear weapons program in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.

Fourth, nuclear technology can play an important role in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals and climate goals. Therefore, the Netherlands encourages the IAEA and all States to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, while taking into account the needs of developing states in particular.

 
Mr. President,

Today, as in 1968, we are aware of the challenges before us. But once again, those objections must dwindle in the face of the moment we’re facing. Let this Review Conference be remembered as the moment when we chose unity over division.

Thank you.