Geneva, Feb 25 (IANS) India has emphasised the urgent necessity of safeguarding strategic stability and averting a fresh global arms race, cautioning that growing geopolitical uncertainties are coinciding with the erosion of key arms control mechanisms. Addressing the 2026 High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday (local time), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “The recent expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) poses a significant setback for global arms control. India believes that preserving strategic stability and preventing an arms race remain vital, more than ever, for global security.”

He noted that the High-Level Segment was being convened amid a “profoundly uncertain geopolitical and security environment”, which was characterised by increasing military spending, pressure on established arms control arrangements and rapid technological progress with direct military implications. “India, as a responsible nuclear-weapon state, is committed, as per its nuclear doctrine, to maintaining a credible minimum deterrent, and espouses a posture of ‘no-first use’ and non-use against non-nuclear-weapon states,” he added.

Misri reiterated India’s longstanding position in favour of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament through a phased, multilateral approach.  At the same time, he expressed support for negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty based on the existing mandate within the Conference on Disarmament. Turning to emerging and disruptive technologies, the Foreign Secretary observed that scientific and technological advancements are transforming military capabilities while simultaneously creating new vulnerabilities and areas of competition. 

He said India has called for a UN system-wide evaluation of the security implications arising from such technological developments. On artificial intelligence, he underlined India’s commitment to its responsible deployment in the military sphere.  “Human judgement and oversight in the use of AI in the military domain is essential to mitigate risks and to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law,” he said, adding that Delhi has put in place a domestic framework to assess trustworthy AI in defence, built around principles such as reliability, safety and transparency.

He further clarified that decisions relating to nuclear weapons would remain firmly under human control. The Foreign Secretary also referred to the recently concluded AI Impact Summit 2026 held in India, which adopted the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact and saw participation from over 100 countries. The Summit stressed the importance of democratising access to artificial intelligence and harnessing it for inclusive development, particularly across the Global South.

Addressing concerns over outer space security, Misri said, “outer space should remain a realm for cooperation, not conflict,” and reiterated India’s support for negotiating a legally binding instrument aimed at preventing an arms race in outer space. He also mentioned India’s hosting of a conference in December 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention, as well as capacity-building initiatives undertaken in collaboration with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.

The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed India’s backing for the Conference on Disarmament as “the world’s single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum,” and called on member states to demonstrate political resolve and place collective security above narrower considerations. “India continues to highlight the need for constructive dialogue and engagement... We call on all States to demonstrate the required political will by taking into account the collective security interests of all States,” Misri added.

--IANS