Main discussions in the Workshop are to address the Questions for Agencies Planning to Implement the IAEA Additional Protocol. Expected outcome would be DOE to assist VARANS in developing a plan for preparation for the AP to be in force.
In the second day of the Workshop, more participants are invited from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Science and Technology and the General Department of Customs. Thereby, DOE experts present background information on AP and explain AP declaration requirements as well as introduce on the AP declaration Helper and IAEA Protocol Reporter and additional approach/Complementary Access. This helps the representatives to get to know more about responsibilities of their Ministries, agencies regarding the implementing the AP in Vietnam.
AP is an agreement between a country and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that provides assurances, in addition to the Safeguards Agreements, to the international community that the country is in compliance with international agreements and not developing nuclear weapons or contributing to nuclear proliferation. As December 2009, 128 countries have signed the AP. Of those, 94 countries have entered the AP into force. Vietnam signed the AP in August 2007 and is preparing to ratify the AP and bring it into force.