IAEA Director General meets the press in Vietnam

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano and leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology met with the press on the occasion of his second visit and working visit to Vietnam from January 7-11, 2014, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh received Mr. Yukia Amano who is on a working visit to Vietnam.

On January 9, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Science and Technology, General Director Yukiya Amano and Mr. Le Dinh Tien, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, introduced the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in promoting the application, ensuring safety, security and non-proliferation of nuclear power in the field of nuclear energy; measures to ensure safety, security and the development trend of nuclear power in the world after the nuclear power accident in Fukushima (Japan) in March 2011; the ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to support countries that have just started developing nuclear power, including Vietnam.

As of November 2013, the International Atomic Energy Agency has 160 member states.

Vietnam joined this organization in 1978. Up to now, the cooperative relationship between the two sides has had positive developments.

Director General Yukiya Amano appreciated Vietnam's efforts in participating in and implementing international treaties on nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation, as well as Vietnam's careful preparations for the nuclear power project.

Previously, at the working session with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Minister Nguyen Quan and General Director Yukiya Amano discussed the results of cooperation between the two sides in the recent past, as well as the direction of cooperation in the coming years.

Minister Nguyen Quan expressed his hope that in the coming time, Vietnam will continue to receive cooperation and support from the International Atomic Energy Agency in developing legal documents, training human resources, and developing and implementing plans for developing nuclear power infrastructure.

Especially in the field of safety, security, and response to nuclear power incidents; building the capacity of an independent nuclear regulatory agency to meet the requirements of ensuring safety and security for nuclear power development.

Vietnam is currently the Chair of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the 2013-2014 term. Vietnam’s consistent policy is to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, ensuring safety, security and non-proliferation. Vietnam considers this not only a national responsibility but also an obligation to the international community.

Implementing this commitment, Vietnam has participated in most international treaties and conventions on nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation. In the past two years, Vietnam has ratified the Additional Protocol on Safeguards; the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material; the Joint Convention on the Safety of the Management of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel; and completed the program of converting high-enriched nuclear fuel to low-enriched fuel at the Da Lat nuclear research reactor.

In particular, Vietnam actively participated in the activities of the Nuclear Security Summit in 2010 in the US, in 2012 in South Korea and the upcoming one in the Netherlands in 2014.

This is the second visit to Vietnam by Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano. This visit aims to discuss measures to promote cooperation between the two sides in the field of developing applications of atomic energy in general, and Vietnam's Nuclear Power Program in particular, as well as to evaluate the results and impacts of projects supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency for Vietnam.

According to VNA