Madam President, I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.  The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro [1] , Ukraine, and Republic of Moldova, the EFTA countries Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement. At the outset, allow me to congratulate you, Ambassador Davaasuren Gerelmaa, on your assumption of the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament and to assure you of the European Union’s full support. We also thank your