Kazakh and Belgian officials mark 35 years since Semipalatinsk closure in Ypres

AI digestMimile.ai EditorialAugust 29, 2026 at 03:11 PM

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Kazakh and Belgian officials mark 35 years since Semipalatinsk closure in Ypres

Kazakh Ambassador to Belgium Roman Vassilenko and Ypres Mayor Katrien Desomer laid flowers at the monument to victims of nuclear tests and man-made disasters in Ypres on August 28. The ceremony preceded the International Day against Nuclear Tests, observed on August 29. The date marks the 1991 closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, where 456 tests were conducted.

Key Facts

The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was closed on August 29, 1991, after 456 nuclear tests over more than four decades.
The UN General Assembly established the International Day against Nuclear Tests on August 29, first observed in 2010.
The twinning agreement between Semey and Ypres was signed on March 16, 2012.
Kazakhstan transferred the monument to victims of nuclear tests and man-made disasters to Ypres in 2010.
Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals after the test site's closure.

Ypres Commemoration

Kazakh Ambassador to Belgium Roman Vassilenko and Ypres Mayor Katrien Desomer laid flowers at the monument to victims of nuclear tests and man-made disasters in Ypres on August 28. The ceremony included a minute of silence for the victims. The monument was transferred by Kazakhstan to the Belgian city in 2010. Vassilenko stated that the experience of Semey and Ypres reminds us that peace cannot be taken for granted and must be preserved through common efforts. Desomer emphasized that Ypres and Semey share a special bond and a commitment to preserving historical memory.

Semipalatinsk Legacy

The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was closed on August 29, 1991, after 456 nuclear tests over more than four decades. The UN General Assembly established the International Day against Nuclear Tests on August 29, first observed in 2010. Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals after the test site's closure. The twinning agreement between Semey and Ypres was signed on March 16, 2012. Both sides confirmed readiness to develop cultural, educational, and youth projects.

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Kazakh and Belgian officials mark 35 years since Semipalatinsk closure in Ypres

dknews.kz

DKNews.kz

Politics

Kazakhstan marks 35 years since Semipalatinsk nuclear test site closure

Kazakhstan on August 29, 2026 marks 35 years since the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. The site, where the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear explosions between 1949 and 1989, was officially shut down on August 29, 1991. The anniversary is observed as the UN International Day against Nuclear Tests, established in 2009 on Kazakhstan's initiative.

Finance

Kazakhstan marks 35 years since closing Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

Kazakhstan on August 29 marks the 35th anniversary of closing the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, where 456 nuclear explosions were conducted from 1949 to 1989. The date is also observed as the UN International Day against Nuclear Tests, established by General Assembly resolution 64/35 in 2009. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called on nuclear-armed states to commit to eliminating nuclear weapons by 2045.

Politics

Kazakhstan marks 35 years since Semipalatinsk closure at UN

Kazakhstan commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site closure at the United Nations in New York. UN Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu praised the closure as a historic decision for the future. The event included a tree planting and memorial plaque unveiling on UN grounds.

Politics

Tokayev urges nuclear powers to negotiate on 35th anniversary of Semipalatinsk closure

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on nuclear powers to negotiate and to bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force, in an address marking the 35th anniversary of the Semipalatinsk test site closure. He said Kazakhstan's anti-nuclear stance remains a firm principle of its foreign policy. Tokayev also reaffirmed the country's commitment to peaceful nuclear energy, citing the national referendum that approved a nuclear power plant.

Kazakh and Belgian officials mark 35 years since Semipalatinsk closure in Ypres

Key Facts

Ypres Commemoration

Semipalatinsk Legacy

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