Mohamad said the convergence of the nuclear age with the information age, marked by cyber warfare, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing, had created “humanity’s most volatile period”.
“Whether you know this era as a post-information age, the post-industrial revolution, or the age of AI, one thing is certain – the Cold War may be over, but nuclear weapons are even more dangerous now than they were back then,” he said in his opening remarks at the Meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission.
Mohamad said current nuclear disarmament mechanisms “appear to be struggling to fulfil their purpose”, especially with ongoing wars like the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel’s recent strike on Iran.
He condemned Israel’s attack as a “blatant agitation for war” and a breach of international law, noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found no evidence Iran was developing nuclear weapons.
“Thirty years after the initial ratification of the SEANWFZ treaty, it has, therefore, never been more urgent to uphold the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime,” he said.
Mohamad also said Asean had made important progress in promoting peaceful uses of nuclear technology, especially in agriculture, medical diagnostics, and food safety, in collaboration with the IAEA.
“Yet, as we celebrate these achievements, it is deeply concerning that Southeast Asia remains the only, I repeat, the only nuclear weapon-free zone that has not been formally recognised by the nuclear weapon states through the signing and ratification of the treaty’s protocol.”
The SEANWFZ, which was signed in 1995 and came into force in 1997, commits Asean member states to not develop, manufacture, acquire, possess, or control nuclear weapons.
The treaty also includes a protocol that invites the five recognised nuclear weapon states – China, Russia, the US, the UK, and France – to commit to not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against SEANWFZ parties.
It has been reported that China and Russia may be willing to sign the protocol, while the US is said to be continuing with its review.