News

At the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty in New York, Lithuania’s representative stressed support for the legally binding, robust and ambitious treaty that would establish strict international standards for the transfer of all conventional weapons. After a successful solution of a dispute over observer status that arose on July 2, which was the first day of the conference, participants expressed their principled positions and attitudes towards the future Arms Trade Treaty during a high-level segment on July 5-6.

The four-week conference aims to find a solution regarding the legally binding, universal and international Arms Trade Treaty.

Rita Kazragienė, Minister Counsellor at Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations, presented Lithuania’s position.

She emphasized that the part of the future treaty establishing parameters and outlining criteria for deciding when arms transfers are not acceptable or possible was very important for Lithuania.

She noted that the new treaty should not be limited to human rights and international humanitarian law criteria.

The Lithuanian representative noted that it was necessary to use this treaty to ensure that national decisions on arms transfers would not lead to new armed conflicts or escalate existing tensions.

Lithuania also calls on establishing provisions in the new treaty setting criteria for regional stability, which would oblige all arms exporting countries to evaluate the risks of the use of the transferred arms in aggressive attacks against neighbouring countries and a possibility of damaging regional stability.

Currently, there is no legally binding international treaty governing conventional arms transfers. The new treaty is intended to prevent and combat illegal arms trafficking, which is the main cause of regional conflicts and violations of human rights.