This Memorandum of Understanding would open opportunities to strengthen the cooperation between two countries in nuclear energy field in terms of human resource development, development of security and safety infrastructure, access to reliable nuclear material sources, quality movement of radio-active wastes and used materials.
This was one activity aimed at affirming commitments of the two countries on the development of civil nuclear electricity and emphasizing that this development should be conducted in the most secure and safest way and reduced at the maximum risks of nuclear weapon dissemination. Vietnam has carefully implemented steps in the cooperation with the US and other international partners and moved towards the development of necessary nuclear infrastructure to manage the first nuclear electricity factory in coming decades.
Making a speech at the Signing ceremony, Deputy Minister Le Dinh Tien affirmed that “Vietnam was and is widely applying radio-activity and nuclear techniques and has currently started to implement the nuclear electricity program for the economic and social development. Vietnam’s consistent policy is to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, ensure the safety and security and oppose against the nuclear weapon dissemination. Being a country which goes behind in terms of the nuclear field, Vietnam has paid proper attention and been ready to expand international cooperation in this field”.
Ambassador Michael W. Michalak said the US was one of the countries which have gained a lot of experience in exploring this energy in safe and secure ways and been currently active in sharing experience with other countries. The Ambassador also emphasized “This memorandum will be served as the basis to move towards governmental negotiations on using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, known as 123 Section Agreement, which will allow the two countries to implement all international agreements relating to the opposition against nuclear weapon dissemination. We hope that Vietnam will bring into full play gained achievements and implement all international agreements relating to the opposition against nuclear weapon dissemination so that Vietnam can become a good example for those countries which want to develop civil nuclear energy”.
This event was also the important initial step in the cooperation between the two countries in nuclear energy field of based on principles of respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and for interests of the two nations.
Vietnam has also expressed its commitments on strengthening nuclear security, especially through efforts to strengthen the entity protection at Da Lat nuclear research pile and bring highly enriched urani (HEU) materials back to Russia in September 2007. These two countries have worked together with common purposes to oppose against nuclear weapon dissemination through shifting totally materials of Da Lat nuclear research pile from HEU materials into low enriched urani (LEU) materials and bring used HEU materials back to Russia by the end of 2012. As a part of the cooperation on opposing against nuclear weapon dissemination, the two countries have moved towards common efforts in using radio-activity discovering equipment in Vietnam’s main seaports.