CCDS board members Tamara Pataraia and Shorena Lortkipanidze took part in the US-Black Sea Nonproliferation Exchange held in Vienna on 26-30 April 2022. This is a new initiative implemented by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and supported by the International Security and Nonproliferation Bureau of the U.S. State Department. The initiative aims to provide a channel to allow deeper coordination and support between nonproliferation professionals, including scholars, diplomats and practitioners. More than 25 participants represented governments, civil society, and academia from the Black Sea regional countries - Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine - and the United States.

Ambassador of Ukraine H.E. Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk delivered a keynote speech in which he called on all participants to learn lessons from the Chernobyl accident and prevent similar disasters in the future, alluding to the attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear facilities by the Russian troops during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The meeting also featured briefings by regional experts from Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Moldova and international experts from the Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Nonproliferation, the World Institute for Nuclear Security, and the Open Nuclear Network.

The highlight of the programme was the group’s meeting with H.E. Laura Holgate, US Ambassador to the UN International Organizations in Vienna. Ambassador Holgate acknowledged the importance and timeliness of the US-Black Sea Nonproliferation Exchange initiative and recognized the contribution of its members to the cause of nuclear security. Ambassador emphasized the value of international efforts and cooperation in nuclear security both in terms of policy and implementation.

The group also visited the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization where they had a chance to see the CTBTO Operations Centre and other stations responsible for data collection and analysis.

Photo gallery