Mr. President,

Allow me to begin by thanking you for your efforts throughout the preparatory process leading to this 11th Review Conference.

Distinguished Delegates,

Albania reaffirms its unwavering commitment to all three pillars of the NPT and will continue to promote the full, balanced, and substantive implementation of the 2010 Review Conference Action Plan.

For more than 50 years, the NPT has served as a cornerstone of global security and remains an essential pillar of international non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. Its framework enables cooperation grounded in rules and norms, while facilitating the peaceful use of nuclear energy, science, and technology.

However, we meet at a time of profound geopolitical transformation. Ongoing conflicts have deepened mistrust among States, increased unpredictability, and pose serious challenges to international law and the rules-based international order.

Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine has now entered its fifth year. The Kremlin has repeatedly invoked nuclear rhetoric to exert pressure on Ukraine and its partners. Russian forces have carried out attacks in the strategic infrastructure, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, raising grave concerns for nuclear safety and security. It has also announced the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, introduced changes to its nuclear doctrine that lowers the threshold for nuclear use, and engaged in military cooperation with the DPRK, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Furthermore, Russia suspended its participation in the New START Treaty, allowing it to expire without a successor agreement.

In light of the evolving security environment in Europe, nuclear deterrence remains crucial. We welcome the initiative of our European partners to review their nuclear policy.

In the Middle East, Iran’s nuclear program, alongside its ballistic missile activities and support for non-state armed groups, continues to raise serious concerns for international peace and stability. We express our appreciation for the efforts of the United States and the broader international community to address these challenges, including through initiatives aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation, constraining missile capabilities, and countering destabilizing activities in the region. We support diplomatic engagement aimed at ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful, under full and verifiable safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Colleagues,

The current geopolitical context calls for realism. Threats can be addressed only by confronting them in a measured and responsible manner.

Albania remains fully committed to advancing all efforts under the Treaty, including Article VI, towards the goal of the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. At the same time, as long as nuclear weapons exist and are used as instruments of coercion, we recognize that deterrence continues to play a curial role in preserving strategic stability and preventing proliferation.

In this context, the constructive role of the P5 countries is indispensable. We commend the initiative of the United States aimed at advancing a multilateral approach to nuclear arms control.

As highlighted in the Working Paper on Transparency and Accountability submitted by the European Union, cosponsored by Albania, we encourage all States Parties to engage constructively in identifying practical steps to enhance transparency and accountability in the implementation of Treaty obligations.

Albania underscores the importance of universal adherence to, and the entry into force of, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). We call on all States that have not yet done so, in particular those listed in Annex 2, to sign and ratify the Treaty without delay and without preconditions.

In conclusion, we wish this Review Conference every success. Let us work together, in a spirit of cooperation and responsibility, towards our shared objective of a safer and more secure world.

Thank you.