Vietnam has been elected as the chairman of the Board of Governors of
the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the
2013-14 term at its meeting on September 23.
Earlier at the 57th
IAEA General Conference on September 19, the agency’s state members
unanimously elected Vietnam and 10 other members to the IAEA Board of
Governors for the 2013-15 term.
Ambassador Nguyen Thiep thanked
IAEA members for their trust and support for Vietnam, saying that
country’s assumption of the position for the first time shows Vietnam’s
development at the agency and multilateral forums. It is also a new step
in implementing Vietnam’s policy of international integration.
With
nuclear power programmes being carried out in Vietnam, the
participation in and chairmanship of the Board of Governors are a good
chance for the country to contribute to implementing the Agency’s goals
and show its consistent policies of promoting the use of nuclear energy
for peaceful purposes as well as non-proliferation of nuclear weapons
towards the complete and thorough disarmament of nuclear weapons,
Ambassador Thiep said.
Joining the agency since 1978, Vietnam was
elected as a member of the Board of the Governors for the 1991-93,
1997-99 and 2003-05 terms. Vietnam’s participation has contributed to
promoting cooperation between the agency and the country in raising
capacity of nuclear energy research, development and use for peaceful
purposes in Vietnam.-VNA