building a better political order in Europe by peaceful and stable means. Mr. President, we cannot exclude the possibility that these changes will sooner or later affect what have been regarded as lasting elements of international security. It is widely believed that nuclear weapons have contributed to stability between the two bloc systems. With East-West tensions subsiding, the balance of terror may not be the only alternative to help mankind survive. We could ask ourselves whether we are coming to an end of an era which euphemistically has been called "Pax atomica"? Everyone seems to agree that nuclear armaments will have a lesser role in the future. If that is so, how are the nuclear-weapon States responding to such a vision? And what measures should the international community take to encourage and facilitate nuclear disarmament? Four weeks ago, the United States and the Soviet Union took another significant step by issuing a joint declaration on strategic offensive arms. Hopes were rekindled that the first START Treaty will see the light of day before the end of this year. And what is equally important, the Soviet Union and the United States also confirmed that there will be further stabilizing reductions in the strategic arsenals of the two countries. Finland welcomes this progress in the negotiations between the leading nuclear Powers. Another category of nuclear weapons is rapidly ripening for negotiation. Progress in the Vienna negotiations on conventional armed forces, along with the political change in Eastern and Central Europe, is rendering short-range nuclear weapons obsolete. Unilateral decisions concerning their withdrawal or non-modernization are signs which, we hope, contain the message that there is no turning back. A forecast for naval nuclear disarmament seems less clear. Finland shares the view that sea-based nuclear systems must not become a means of circumventing disarmament agreements elsewhere. Nor should naval forces be 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the possibility of a shift in the global security landscape, specifically with regards to nuclear weapons, and the need for international cooperation to achieve disarmament. The mention of international agreements, negotiations, and declarations suggests a focus on international relations and politics.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology