The State of Qatar has urged all countries with nuclear facilities, especially in the Middle East, to quickly join international agreements on nuclear safety to ensure confidence in the robustness of the operational systems in their reactors and the application of international nuclear safety measures to these facilities.
This call was made in Qatar’s statement delivered by HE Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, who is Qatar’s Ambassador to the Republic of Austria and its Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna, during the current session of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, addressing nuclear and radiological safety.
In its statement, Qatar expressed gratitude to the Agency for its cooperation with relevant national authorities concerning activities aimed at maintaining the highest levels of safety and security in medical radioactive sources at Qatari health institutions.
The statement added that Qatar, in collaboration with the Agency, is working on developing
a national project to enhance regulatory control and implement an effective program for handling radioactive waste.
The statement also noted Qatar’s desire for enhanced international cooperation with the Agency for the sake of peace, human welfare, and environmental protection. It specifically highlighted the aggression and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including medical facilities.
Qatar called on the Agency to provide urgent support to medical facilities in Gaza, identify all medical radioactive sources in nuclear medicine facilities that have been bombed, and prioritize Palestine and Gaza in particular in health facility rehabilitation programs, including support under the Rays of Hope initiative.
HE the Ambassador Jassim Yaqub Al Hammadi expressed Qatar’s gratitude to the Board of Governors’ members for their cooperation during Qatar’s tenure on the Board, which will end in September 2024.
He said the during these two years, the Qatari delegation has promoted dialogue and
consensus and focused on diplomatic solutions to the international issues presented to the Board.
Our joint efforts have been successful in reducing tensions and enhancing the technical and regulatory role of the Agency.
At the conclusion of the statement, also thanked HE Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi for his cooperation with Qatar in bilateral matters, which has led to significant progress in the partnership between Qatar and the Agency.
Source: Qatar News Agency