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In News
- Recently India abstained on a Russia-sponsored draft resolution at UNSC for a probe into Ukraine’s alleged bioweapons.
More about the news
- Issue:
- Russia has raised the issue of chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine several times at the U.N. Security Council since its forces invaded Ukraine.
- Russian resolution at UNSC:
- Recently a motion was sponsored by Russia at the UNSC that sought to establish a commission to investigate claims by Moscow that the U.S. and Ukraine are carrying out “military biological activities” in laboratories in Ukraine in violation of the biological weapons convention.
- Failed attempt:
- The resolution failed to get adopted as only two Council members — Russia and China — voted in its favour.
- In contrast, the U.S., the U.K. and France voted against it.
- The other Council members, including India, abstained.
- India’s opinion:
- In the explanation of the vote, India attached high importance to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which is the first non-discriminatory disarmament treaty banning a complete category of weapons of mass destruction.
- India also reiterated the need to negotiate a comprehensive legally binding protocol providing for an effective, universal and non-discriminatory verification mechanism to strengthen the implementation of the Convention.
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
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More about the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)
- About:
- Came into force in 1975 and the Convention was negotiated by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Aim:
- Treaty prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological weapons.
- Signatories:
- It has 183 signatories, including the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.
- India has signed and ratified this convention.
- Significance:
- It was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
- The BWC is a key element in the international community’s efforts to address WMD proliferation and it has established a strong norm against biological weapons.
- A total of eight Review Conferences have taken place since the first one in 1980.
- Issues:
- There is no implementation body of the BTWC, allowing for blatant violations as seen in the past.
- This conference takes place every five years to assess and try to improve upon the convention’s implementation, however, it has no provisions to make sure countries are abiding by its terms.
Chemical Weapons Convention, 1997
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
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India’s Stand on Russia’s War with Ukraine & way ahead
- India’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been distinctive among the major democracies and among U.S. strategic partners.
- Despite its discomfort with Moscow’s war, New Delhi has adopted studied public neutrality toward Russia.
- It has abstained from successive votes in the UN Security Council, General Assembly, and Human Rights Council that condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine and thus far has refused to openly call out Russia as the instigator of the crisis.
- India has been under immense indirect pressure from Western nations that have openly condemned Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
- India has been pressing for the resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and dialogue.
Source: TH
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