UN Head warned of the Start of a New Nuclear Arms Race, calling it "Complete Madness”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called a possible new nuclear arms race "complete madness" and called for a change of course, BTA reported.

"I promised to do everything in my power to mobilize countries around the need to remove these destructive agents from the face of the earth," he said on the final day of the UN General Assembly session in New York. "The situation is urgent. A disturbing arms race is beginning. The number of nuclear weapons may increase for the first time in decades," he said, lamenting that "the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture is shaking."

"With the modernization of nuclear arsenals, these weapons are becoming faster, more precise and more invisible. Once again the threat of nuclear weapons is being used. This is complete madness. We must reverse the course of events," Guterres said.

Because "any use of nuclear weapons, regardless of where, when or under what circumstances, would cause a humanitarian catastrophe of colossal proportions. This is not hyperbole," the UN Secretary General emphasized.

In this regard, Guterres called on the nuclear powers to "set an example" by committing to "never and under no circumstances use nuclear weapons."

The Secretary-General also called for a "total moratorium" on nuclear tests.

"The world has lived in the shadow of nuclear weapons for too long. Let us move away from the abyss," he urged, expressing hope that these weapons could become "relics of the past."