Belarus taking part in IAEA General Conference in Vienna

A Belarusian delegation is taking part in the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency that began in Vienna on 16 September, BelTA learned from Lilia Dulinets, Head of the International Cooperation Office of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry.

The delegation is led by First Deputy Emergencies Minister Vasily Stepanenko. The delegation includes Ambassador of Belarus to Austria Valery Voronetsky, Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Energy Ministry Nikolai Grusha, representatives of the Foreign Ministry, and Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry Olga Lugovskaya.

The head of the delegation is expected to deliver a report at the plenary session of the conference on 17 September. An informational briefing for the IAEA Secretariat and interested delegations is scheduled for 18 September. The briefing will include the presentation of a video about the Belarusian nuclear power plant, a slide-based presentation, and a brief Q&A session, said the source.

Bilateral meetings will be held during the General Conference, including a meeting with IAEA Deputy Director General, Director of the Technical Cooperation Department Kwaku Aning.

Belarus takes an active part in the IAEA Technical Cooperation Program. Four Belarusian projects are part of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Program for 2012-2013, which was adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors in November 2011. The first two projects aim for the development of the nuclear energy infrastructure and the system to train personnel for a nuclear energy program as well as better performance of the body in charge of regulating nuclear and radiation safety via improving the effectiveness of reviewing the performance of experts and specialists. The remaining two projects envisage the improvement of the medical system to enable readiness and response in case of a nuclear or radiation emergency as well as the modernization and expansion of the network for atmospheric radiation monitoring. Apart from that, in 2012-2013 Belarus takes part in 30 regional and interregional technical cooperation projects of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The General Conference is the supreme body of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is convened every year to include delegations from all the 159 member states led by ministers or heads of nuclear industries. A research forum is held as part of the conference. This year’s forum is focused on nuclear technologies in an ocean environment. The conference will end on 20 September.