From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

Leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states have taken a bold decision to prevent nuclear war and avoid arms races.

The leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states, including the People’s Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, in a joint statement signed on Monday, considered the avoidance of war between nuclear-weapon states and the reduction of strategic risks as their foremost responsibilities.

The affected countries affirmed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, adding that as nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, they also affirmed that nuclear weapons, for as long as they continue to exist, should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.

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“We believe strongly that the further spread of such weapons must be prevented.

“We reaffirm the importance of addressing nuclear threats and emphasise the importance of preserving and complying with our bilateral and multilateral non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control agreements and commitments. We remain committed to our Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations, including our Article VI obligation ‘to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control’.

“We, each, intend to maintain and further strengthen our national measures to prevent unauthorised or unintended use of nuclear weapons. We reiterate the validity of our previous statements on de-targeting, reaffirming that none of our nuclear weapons are targeted at each other or at any other state,” the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states said.