On April 20 (local time), in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that the risk of a nuclear arms race is his "largest concern" in the current context.
Mr. Grossi said that there is a view that expanding nuclear weapons possession between some allied countries or countries with close relations may be acceptable in some cases. According to him, if the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons continues to increase, the consequences for global security will become more serious. The case of 20 or more countries possessing nuclear weapons will potentially pose a very high level of risk and be difficult to control.
According to the head of the IAEA, the risk of nuclear arms race is no longer a distant scenario. He warned that the current nuclear weapons control system and non-proliferation mechanism may face many challenges in the future if current trends continue.
He also believes that this system may have "crackholes" during operation. At that time, a contagious effect may occur, causing many countries to consider developing or possessing nuclear weapons. This is a very fragile state and needs to be strictly monitored.
In some countries in Europe, the Asia Minor and Far East region, public discussions are taking place regarding the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons. This reflects a change in the approach to security issues of some countries in the context of volatile geopolitics.
In that context, the IAEA Director-General called on the international community to strengthen efforts to prevent the risk of weakening the global nuclear non-proliferation mechanism. Maintaining and strengthening existing control mechanisms is key to limiting risks, while ensuring long-term international security stability.
