He advocated the need for "truly collective approaches" internationally to ensure universal nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in a time-bound manner and expressed India's readiness to contribute in this regard.
Underlining that India has "no intention" to engage in an arms race with anyone, Singh said New Delhi is "fully committed to nuclear disarmament that is global, universal and non-discriminatory in nature", a goal which will enhance security of all countries.
"The painful reality is that the goal of global disarmament, based on the principles of universality, non-discrimination and effective compliance, still remains a distant one," he said while inaugurating a conference 'Towards a World Free of Nuclear Weapons' here.
"Even more disturbing, however, is the emergence of new threats and challenges to global security," Singh said and referred to the "growing risk that nuclear weapons may be acquired by terrorists or those driven by extreme ideologies."
He also cautioned about the "increasing danger of non-state actors accessing nuclear materials and devices, development of new weapon systems based on emerging technologies which pose challenges to space security and provide new roles for nuclear weapons and the weakening multilateralism even as bilateral arms control processes falter in shifting strategic landscapes".
