NEW DELHI: India on Friday welcomed a joint pledge by the US, the UK, China, Russia and France to prevent the spread of atomic nuclear weapons and asserted that it remains committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament.
In a rare joint statement, the UN Security Council's five permanent members (the P5) on Monday said a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought and vowed to prevent the spread of atomic weapons.
Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that as a responsible nuclear weapon state, India has a doctrine of maintaining a credible minimum deterrence based on a 'no first use' posture and non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states.
He said India remains committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament.
"We welcome the Joint Statement this week, which reaffirms the importance of addressing nuclear threats, and underscores the desire to work towards creating a security environment more conducive to progress on disarmament with the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all," he said.
Bagchi was responding to a media query on the joint statement.
He said India's annual resolution at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 'Reducing Nuclear Danger' calls for steps to reduce the risk of unintentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons, including through "de-alerting and de-targeting" of nuclear weapons.
"Our annual resolution on a 'Convention on the Prohibition of the use of Nuclear Weapons' seeks the commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances," he said.
"Both resolutions are adopted with substantive support at the UNGA. India will continue to contribute further to the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agenda," he added.
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