The Armenian National Assembly today unanimously ratified the Agreement on Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies and the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
States and international intergovernmental organizations that agree to abide by the Convention are required to establish their own national registries and provide information on their space objects to the UN Secretary-General for inclusion in the United Nations Register.
Under the Agreement on Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, all activities on the moon, including its exploration and use, shall be carried out in accordance with international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations, and taking into account the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and co-operation Among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly on 24 October 1970, in the interests of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international co-operation and mutual understanding, and with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties.
According to the document,” the moon shall be used by all States Parties exclusively for peaceful purposes.” Any threat or use of force or any other hostile act or threat of hostile act on the moon is prohibited. It is likewise prohibited to use the moon in order to commit any such act or to engage in any such threat in relation to the earth, the moon, spacecraft, the personnel of spacecraft or man-made space objects.
States Parties shall not place in orbit around or other trajectory to or around the moon objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction or place or use such weapons on or in the moon.
The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on the moon shall be forbidden. The use of military personnel for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited. The use of any equipment or facility necessary for peaceful exploration and use of the moon shall also not be prohibited.
