Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part

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Germany

23-08-2019

The Federal Republic of Germany hereby declares that point (a) of Article 9(2) of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part, applies only to instruments aiming at countering the proliferation of WMDs and their means of delivery.
Grounds:
Point (a) of Article 9(2) of the framework agreement contains the broad statement that the Parties agree inter alia to take 'steps to sign, ratify or accede to, as appropriate, and fully implement all other relevant international instruments'. The fact that this provision refers to 'relevant international instruments' rather than, specifically, instruments aiming at countering the proliferation of WMDs and their means of delivery means that it could be interpreted broadly as also covering, for example, the recently negotiated Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which a small number of Member States voted in favour of within the framework of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination.
Through this interpretative declaration, Germany wishes to reinforce the objective of point (a) of Article 9(2) of the framework agreement, while also emphasising that the agreement in no way affects its sovereign freedom of action in respect of nuclear sharing arrangements, for instance.