US to host 18th NATO conference on arms control and disarmament today

Washington [US], April 17 : The United States and North Atlantic Treaty Orgzation (NATO) will co-host the 18th Annual NATO Conference on Arms Control, Disarmament and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Non-Proliferation, on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, State Department said, "This week, the US will co-host with @NATO

the 18th Annual Weapons of Mass Destruction Nonproliferation Conference."

"NATO Allies, Invitees, and Partners are gathering at a timely and important moment to discuss the ongoing challenges in international security and how the NATO Alliance can continue to strengthen the rules-based international order," it added.

Meanwhile, in the statement, the State Department said that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will deliver remarks at the opening session of the conference on Tuesday.

The 4-day conference will be chaired by Under Secretary of US State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins and is closed to the public.

"The conference (from April 17-20) will also be preceded by a high-level civil society public event in partnership with Howard University's Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center to discuss the evolving challenges in arms control, disarmament, nonproliferation, and other areas of global security, as well as ideas on how to build a safer, more secure world," the statement read.

"Since 2004, the Annual NATO Arms Control, Disarmament and WMD Non-Proliferation Conference has been orgzed by NATO with an Ally as a co-host to provide an opportunity for informal discussions on WMD threats by senior national officials. The 18th Annual Conference is hosted for the first time in North America and will include approximately 175 participants from over 50 NATO Allies, Invitee, Partners, and International Orgzations," the statement added.

The last edition of the NATO Conference on Arms Control, Disarmament and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Non-Proliferation was held in September 2021 in Copenhagen, Denmark, according to the statement released by NATO.

Denmark and NATO hosted the 17th Annual NATO Conference.