Kyrgyzstan
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Zheenbek Kulubaev, signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in New York on 26 September 2025, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. ‘This step represents a natural continuation of our principled commitment to a nuclear-weapon-free world, as well as a reaffirmation of the choice we made when, together with our neighbours, we established a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia,’ he said that day.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No (Signed 2025) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1994) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2003) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 2007, Semipalatinsk) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2011) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 2004) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2003) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2025) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Did not vote |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Did not vote |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Revised) |
Latest developments
Prior to signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Zheenbek Kulubaev, explained the decision in an interview in July 2025. ‘We believe security comes from cooperation and trust, not weapons,’ he said. ‘That’s why we decided to join the [TPNW]. We want a world free of nuclear threats for future generations.’2
In announcing its decision to join the TPNW earlier in the year, it said that it is ‘committed to ensuring that future generations live without the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction’.3
In the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Zhaparov, highlighted his country’s signature of the TPNW. ‘We are firmly convinced that our planet should exist without nuclear weapons—this invention of mankind should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes,’ he said.4
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Kyrgyzstan noted that it had recently signed the TPNW, ‘reaffirming our unwavering commitment to disarmament, non-proliferation, and international security’.5
Recommendations
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Kyrgyzstan should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.
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Kyrgyzstan should upgrade to a modified Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).