2006: Third Joint Ministerial Statement

In 2006, the year of the 10th anniversary of the Treaty being opened for signature, 72 foreign ministers - the highest number until now - associated themselves with the Joint Ministerial Statement. These included all the Member States of the European Union and the Russian Federation. This time, Canada joined Australia, Finland, Japan and the Netherlands, in convening the Foreign Ministers’ meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Welcoming the build-up of the verification regime

Besides calling on countries to sign and ratify the Treaty and committing themselves to making the Treaty the focus of attention at the highest political level, the Ministers welcomed the progress made in building up all elements of the verification regime. They would continue to provide the support required to complete and operate the verification regime in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

The verification system would also bring scientific and civil benefits, including for tsunami warning and other disaster alert systems. The Ministers would “continue to seek ways to ensure that those benefits will be broadly shared by the international community.”