Central Asia celebrates 20 years as a nuclear-weapon-free zone By Nargiz Shekinskaya 30 April 2026 Peace and Security Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan was once the Soviet Union’s primary testing ground for nuclear weapons. Today, in an age of rising nuclear threats, the Semipalatinsk Treaty – which saw a group of Central Asian countries renounce nuclear weapons in 2006 – is more relevant than ever. The accord, which brought together Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, enshrines the voluntary commitment of these States not to develop, acquire, test or deploy nuclear weapons. “Nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs) are not only historical achievements but also living instruments of regional security, non-proliferation and nuclear risk reduction,” says Christopher King, Chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).…