The State of Qatar has affirmed that the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, especially in the areas of health, agriculture, industry and the environment, are a strategic bet and part of its plan for comprehensive economic and social development within the Qatar National Vision 2030, as it has adopted appropriate legislation to enhance the safety and security of radioactive materials and is cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enhance the Agency's efforts in the field of nuclear security and safety.
This came in a speech delivered by HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Austria and its Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna, Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri, before the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Security, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
HE said that nuclear security is an important component of the international peace and security system, so seeking full and comprehensive implementation of the obligations of states in the field of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament will contribute to strengthening nuclear security.
He explained that effective national nuclear security systems will contribute to developing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and in strengthening international efforts to combat nuclear terrorism, expressing his aspiration that the relationship between nuclear security and peace and international security be present in the discussions and in future plans to achieve the main goals and priorities in the field of nuclear security.
HE the Ambassador pointed out that this conference is an opportunity to assess the progress made in the field of nuclear security, to enhance it, to support the collaboration between nuclear security and safety, and to support the Agency's efforts to introduce further improvements to its nuclear security activities, and to maintain the highest safety and security standards in nuclear activities, including facilitating the missions of international advisory missions to atomic energy, with the aim of reviewing frameworks and structures concerned with nuclear security in states, as well as ways to protect radioactive sources worldwide.
About the State of Qatar hosting one of the most important mass events in the sports field, which is the FIFA World Cup for 2022, HE revealed that the Qatari authorities specialized in organizing the championship are preparing from now to coordinate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, to benefit from the experiences possessed by the agency in implementing nuclear security measures during major events, and similar to what happened in such activities in other countries of the world.
In his speech, HE Ambassador Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri concluded by stressing that great progress has been made in the field of nuclear technology security in recent years, but there is still much work to be done to spread and strengthen the culture of nuclear security on a large scale.