Statement by H.E. Mr. Andranik Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia, at the Sixty-Fifth Session of Preparatory Commission of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

10 November, 2025

Mr. Chair,

At the outset, we would like to congratulate you for chairing this session and assure you of our support. We express gratitude to you and to the Provisional Technical Secretariat for the timely and meaningful preparations for this session.

We thank the Executive Secretary, Dr. Robert Floyd, for his opening remarks and comprehensive reports, but above all for his remarkable leadership. We also express our appreciation for the reports and recommendations of Working Groups and the Advisory Group.

We congratulate Kenya for assuming the position of the external auditor and we are confident that Kenya will exercise its duties with utmost responsibility.

Mr. Chair,

Since this is the first time we meet following the Executive Secretary’s visit to Armenia, we would also like to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Robert Floyd and his able team for the productive and engaging discussions held during the visit. We firmly believe that such first-hand interactions in member states are indispensable for strengthening the cooperation within the framework of the Organisation and for further fostering its goals.

Mr. Chair,

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, we consider the Executive Secretary’s new motto — One Treaty, One Goal, Zero Tests — both sound and timely. As a steadfast supporter of the global non-proliferation agenda, Armenia reiterates its unwavering commitment to the objectives of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

In light of the evolving and challenging global security environment, we once again call upon all Annex 2 States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty at the earliest opportunity. We firmly believe that the credibility and effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime cannot be fully ensured without the Treaty’s entry into force.

Mr. Chair,

We thank the Provisional Technical Secretariat for the second revision of the Final Draft of the 2026–2027 Programme and Budget Proposals, reflecting zero nominal growth in the core budget. We also take note of the Secretariat’s proposal regarding the 2022–2023 cash surplus and fully understand and share the need for IMS sustainment and capacity-building.

The verification and monitoring system of the CTBTO is one of the Organization’s most important assets, serving as an efficient and sophisticated tool for global non-proliferation efforts. As the host country of an IMS auxiliary seismic station, Armenia strongly believes that the maintenance and further enhancement of the IMS network and its capabilities should remain central to our activities.

We also attach great importance to the continuous development of national verification and monitoring capacities. In this context, we highly value the capacity-building activities organized by the Provisional Technical Secretariat for relevant national experts of State Signatories and strongly encourage the continuation of training programs, technical assistance and capacity-building efforts. We welcome the Technical Expert Support Programme, which will further encourage the participation of technical experts from developing countries in official technical meetings of the Commission.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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