Speaking after attending the online AGM of the Scottish Parliament Nuclear Disarmament Cross Party Group (NDCPG), Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe said that he was proud to speak and be associated with his country’s longstanding work to combat the proliferation and testing of nuclear weapons and called on the current Irish government to continue and build on this good work during its time on the UN Security Council.

Teachta Crowe said:

 “I was very pleased to be invited to attend the online AGM of NDCPG and speak on Ireland’s ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Scotland is home to Britain’s nuclear arsenal, against the stated wishes of the Scottish parliament and its people. 

“Achieving a world free of nuclear weapons has always been a desire of my party Sinn Féin and the Irish people as a whole. From its earliest days of UN membership, Ireland has led from the front in combatting the proliferation and testing of these doomsday devices. 

“As recognition for this, Ireland was the first country invited to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1968. I have no doubt that during its time on the UN Security Council, the Irish representative will maintain this positive and life changing work by encouraging more countries to ratify the TPNW.  

“This state, along with others, is on the right side of history when it comes to the eradication and outright banning of these weapons that have the potential to wipe out all life on this planet. 

“We must collectively not only be committed to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons, but proactive in playing our part towards eliminating all categories of weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical.  

“This involves working both diplomatically and with likeminded governments and peoples around the world. We must educate and lobby for change across all corners of the world by rejecting the very notion of weapons of mass destruction.  

“Our world can never hope for real and lasting peace while such doomsday weapons exist and continue to be stockpiled and readied for possible use. We all need to do more and use whatever influence we have to end the production, stockpiling, and very real threat of use of nuclear weapons.”