'Nuclear-free world is in everyone's interest': Dalai Lama welcomes ratification of UN treaty banning nuclear weapons

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday welcomed the ratification of the United Nations' Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, saying that the 'historic' treaty would contribute to even more concerted efforts to do away with dreadful weapons and secure genuine and lasting peace in the world.

In a statement, Dalai Lama deemed the treaty ratification as the first positive step towards a more peaceful future by calling it a "historic" step in the right direction to find more enlightened and civilised arrangements for resolving conflicts.

Fifty countries have ratified an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons, the United Nations (UN) has announced, allowing the "historic" text to enter into force in 90 days.

Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the UN said on Saturday, in a move hailed by anti-nuclear activists but strongly opposed by the United States and the other major nuclear powers.

"I welcome the fact that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has now been ratified by fifty countries and will come into force from January next year. This is indeed historic and augurs well for the future of humty. It is a step in the right direction to finding more enlightened and civilised arrangements for resolving conflicts," Dalai Lama said.

"I have no doubt that this treaty's coming into force will contribute to even more concerted efforts to do away with these dreadful weapons and secure genuine and lasting peace in our world. The world has now taken the first positive step towards a more peaceful future, but our ultimate goal should be the demilitarisation of the entire planet," he added.

The spiritual leader said that the nuclear-free world is in everyone's interest.

"The reality today is we need to rely on mutual understanding and dialogue to resolve conflicts. Therefore, I take the opportunity to urge all governments to work to implement this treaty, so that the world becomes a safer place for us all," he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended the 50 states and saluted "the instrumental work" of civil society in facilitating negotiations and pushing for ratification, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric had said on Saturday.

The UN chief said the treaty's entry into force on January 22, 2021, crowns a worldwide movement "to draw attention to the catastrophic humtarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons" and "is a tribute to the survivors of nuclear explosions and tests, many of whom advocated for this treaty".

( With inputs from ANI )