IAEA to help organize training for Belarusian nuclear energy specialists

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will help organize training sessions for Belarusian nuclear energy specialists. The relevant agreement was reached at an IAEA educational seminar on implementing safeguards within the framework of the Belarusian nuclear energy program, BelTA learned from the Communications and Public Information Office of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor).

The source said that during the seminar an agreement was reached on the IAEA’s support in arranging training sessions for Belarusian specialists that take care of record keeping and control of nuclear materials and the exchange of the experience of remote monitoring organization.

The seminar’s topics also included the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, IAEA guarantees, and efforts of the regulating body in this regard, documentation of nuclear materials records, support for verification efforts on the part of the IAEA (interaction between the operating enterprise, the regulating agency, and the IAEA), and other matters.

IAEA experts pointed out that the implementation of safeguards both inside the country and at the international level is based on principles of partnership, communication and mutual trust. In turn, Gosatomnadzor head Olga Lugovskaya noted that the matter of increasing competence with regard to the implementation of safeguards is getting more important as part of the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. In this regard Belarus has honored and will honor its commitments, she stressed.

Representatives of government agencies and organizations involved in implementing the agreement on safeguards between the Republic of Belarus and the IAEA in view of the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty took part in the seminar. In accordance with the agreement the government intends to take stock of and control all the nuclear materials for the sake of confirming the fact that such materials are not used to make nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.