On 08 October, the European Union and Cuba held online the fourth sessions of their political dialogues on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, as well as on illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, under the EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA).

Discussions included exchanges of views on expectations and priorities in the current review process of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NTP); on nuclear disarmament; on the current work of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the Working Group on its strengthening; as well as on the ongoing UNGA First Committee. The agenda also covered the follow-up to the outcomes of the 4^th UN Review Conference of the Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW); and lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).

The EU recalled the challenges of the current international security environment, with global arms control and non-proliferation architecture heavily impacted by the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, assertiveness and nuclear build-up of China, and the regional crisis in the Middle East.

The EU underlined its strong support to all three pillars of the NPT and to the Treaty’s universalisation, as well as its willingness to contribute constructively to a successful review cycle. The EU also expressed its conviction that BTWC remains an essential instrument to prevent the production and use of biological weapons and expressed its hope and support of tangible progress in the BTWC Working Group. In relation to the UNGA First Committee, the EU presented its positions regarding new developments and advocated for increased dialogue in order to explore possible consensus in various clusters.

Regarding the illicit trade in SALW, the EU praised the consensual outcome of the 4^th UN PoA Review Conference, and underlined the importance of a genuine commitment, through practical steps, to prevent SALW proliferation and diversion, and highlighted the numerous EU projects to that end. In relation to LAWS, the EU stressed its commitment to moving forward on the discussions at the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE). Under Any Other Business, the EU encouraged Cuba to join the Anti-personnel Mine Convention or unilaterally align with this instrument, as well as to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty.

Both Parties underscored the value of regular exchanges of views, in a spirit of mutual respect and partnership, and recalled the importance of gaining mutual understanding of the grounds of their respective position, in order to pursue convergence on possible consensual initiatives.

The EU delegation was led by the Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Stephan Klement. Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, Deputy Director General for Multilateral Affairs and International Law of the Cuban Ministry for Foreign Affairs, led the Cuban delegation. Representatives of EU Member States also attended the Dialogue as observers.