Hiroshima and Nagasaki are a constant reminder of nuclear devastation

 

5 August 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, showed all of humanity the devastating consequences American imperialism caused with the heinous crime that cost the lives and health of millions of people. A crime which remains unpunished, as no US government has been tried or apologised for it to date.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki are a constant reminder that nuclear weapons can lead to the destruction of human civilisation and life on the planet. Unfortunately, 78 years on, the increase in tensions, conflicts, the arms race and militarisation across the globe is at the same time increasing the risk of nuclear weapons being used for the first time since 1945. The extent and power of existing nuclear arsenals and the existence of over 15,000 nuclear warheads in the world remain a threat to the destruction of humanity. A possible nuclear war between major nuclear powers would be a catastrophe for humanity, the environment and health on a scale many times greater than that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The UN International Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted in July 2017 and entered into force in January 2021, constitutes an important milestone and tool in the hands of the peoples and the world peace movement in the struggle for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The significance of the Treaty reflects the aspiration of the peoples, the world peace movement and the environmental movement for a world free of nuclear weapons. In this context, AKEL reiterates its call to the Government of Cyprus to proceed as soon as possible to the ratification of the International Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

AKEL joins the forces calling for an end to wars, demilitarisation and for denuclearisation, in favour of disarmament and ensuring peace and environmental protection. AKEL works with these forces to make the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region a demilitarised zone, free of weapons of mass destruction and fully demilitarised.

78 years onwards, we remember the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear holocaust by continuing the struggle for the final and complete elimination of nuclear weapons. This is also our duty towards humanity’s future.