Jordan hosts UN meeting on nuclear weapons-free Middle East zone

AMMAN — Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Majid Qatarneh on Monday participated in a meeting of the Working Committee stemming from the United Nations Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The meeting, held in Amman, marked the first time the committee has convened outside the UN headquarters in New York, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In his remarks, Qatarneh reiterated Jordan’s unwavering stance on the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. “Our message is clear: the creation of a region free of nuclear weapons is not only a regional responsibility, but a shared international obligation that must be upheld in line with relevant UN resolutions,” he said.

He also reiterated Jordan’s full support for the UN-led process and its commitment to cooperating with all participating states to realise the conference’s common objectives.

The meeting was chaired by Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations and President of the upcoming sixth session of the conference, Ambassador Omar Hilale.

Also in attendance was UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu.

The session was held as part of preparations for the sixth session of the conference, established under UN General Assembly Resolution 73/546 in 2018. The inaugural session was held in 2019 under Jordan’s presidency.