<P> The Central Asian Nuclear - Weapon - Free Zone (CANWFZ) treaty is a legally binding commitment by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan not to manufacture, acquire, test, or possess nuclear weapons . The treaty was signed on 8 September 2006 at Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan, and is also known as Treaty of Semipalatinsk, Treaty of Semei, or Treaty of Semey . </P> <P> The treaty was ratified by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, and entered into force 2009 - 03 - 21 . </P> <P> Steps towards the establishment of such a zone began with the Almaty Declaration (1) in 1992 . A resolution calling for the establishment of such a zone was adopted by consensus by the United Nations General Assembly in 1997 and reaffirmed in 2000 . </P> <P> Mindful of the lack of support by the nuclear powers for a similar Southeast Asian Nuclear - Weapon - Free Zone Treaty, the five permanent members of the Security Council were involved in the negotiations . </P>

Treaty on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in central asia citation