The memory of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims demands the final abolition of nuclear weapons

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 5 August 2018, Nicosia

The 73rd anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki reminds us that US imperialism did not hesitate to commit such a crime of such nature and magnitude. Besides, the dropping of the atomic bombs by the United States was not dictated by the needs of the war, since militarist Japan and the other Axis powers had effectively been defeated. The US wanted to make a show of strength and aggression towards the Soviet Union and all the peoples of the world. At the same time, Hiroshima and Nagasaki remind us of the destructive power nuclear weapons have and may lead to in the event of a nuclear incident, even leading to the extinction of human civilization on the planet.

AKEL joins its voice with that of the world peace movement which is warning that the danger of a nuclear incident has not gone away. On the contrary, this danger is growing because of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the intensity of imperialism’s aggressiveness and the aggravation of the antagonisms between the powerful centres of the planet. The unilateral withdrawal of the US from the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program at the same time as imperialism is continuing to cover up Israel’s nuclear arsenal reveals the real obstacle to the efforts for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, but also for the definitive abolition of nuclear weapons. This is confirmed by the fact that NATO continues to base its strategic plan on the nuclear superiority of the US, the nuclear weapons of Britain and France and on the US nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.

Bearing this situation in mind, AKEL, together with dozens of movements and organizations in Europe, is asserting the removal of all nuclear weapons from the territory of EU Member States. At the same time, we are fighting for the complete eradication of nuclear weapons from the planet. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons adopted last year by the UN represents a historic step. It is imperative that it is signed and ratified by all the states of the world and, first and foremost, by the nuclear states.

Finally, we recall for yet another year the unanimous resolution approved by the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus in 2014 which called on the government to take diplomatic initiatives to promote the goal of proclaiming the Middle East as a Zone Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction. It is these actions that will upgrade Cyprus’ geopolitical role as a bridge of peace and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean neighborhood and not the forging of military alliances and the transformation of our island into a military training ground for foreign armies.

The final abolition of nuclear weapons is the way to truly honor the memory of the tens of thousands of victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.