STANDING COMMITTEE BACKS JOINING ATS

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The parliamentary Standing committee on security and foreign policy Tuesday considered that Mongolia needs to join the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). A majority of the committee backed this matter "because Mongolia must run at a race of getting common properties of humankind while actively participating in the international relations and cooperation in globalization era". A presentation about the ATS was made by L.Bold, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the ATS regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. The treaty, entering into force in 1961 and currently having 50 signatory nations, sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation and bans military activity on that continent. The treaty was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War. The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat headquarters have been located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since September 2004. The main treaty was opened for signature on December 1, 1959, and officially entered into force on June 23, 1961. The original signatories were the 12 countries active in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–58. The twelve countries had significant interests in Antarctica at the time: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries had established over 50 Antarctic stations for the IGY. The treaty was a diplomatic expression of the operational and scientific cooperation that had been achieved "on the ice". In 1972-1974, Mongolia had its scientists participated for the first time in international research team on Antarctica. Last years, the Mongolian scholars were conducting researches in Antarctica, being involved in international research group. Their works such as weather forecast and sea water and minerals researches have contributed to estimating of tendencies of global climate changes. If Mongolia joins the ATS, it will be able to send its independent research group to Antarctica and to install there its station.