Attending the signing ceremony, in Vietnamese side were Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Quân, Deputy Minister Lê Đình Tiến, representatives of Vietnam’s management agencies in atomic energy field and in the Russian Federation were Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Vietnam and Mr. Spassky Nikolai Nikolaev, Deputy Director of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM). Participating in the Signing ceremony were reports from media agencies of Vietnam and the Russian Federation.
In the speech delivered in the Signing Ceremony, Minister Nguyễn Quân has reviewed activities during the process of shifting materials of Đà Lạt nuclear reactor pile from high-enriched materials to low-enriched materials. The shifting of materials was the initiative of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the US and the Russian Federation in order to manage high-enriched nuclear materials and avoid the materials to be used for non-peaceful purposes. The consensus on the Agreement document and organization of the signing ceremony was an important event, which showed Vietnam’s commitment in the implementation of the Joint Statement of the 1st Summit Conference on Nuclear Security in Washington in 2010 and moved towards the 2nd Summit Conference on Nuclear Security in Seoul in 2012. This Agreement together with other agreements in atomic energy field have showed strategic cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation on using atomic energy for peaceful purposes, ensuring nuclear safety, security and non-popularization.
Minister Nguyễn Quân expressed his thanks for atomic energy agencies of the Russian Federation which has actively cooperated with Vietnam and hoped that Vietnam would continue receiving cooperation and support of the Russian Federation in building and developing atomic energy industry and fulfilling commitment on ensuring nuclear safety, security and non-popularization.
In response to Minister Nguyễn Quân’s ideas, Mr. Spassky Nikolai Nikolaev highly appreciated results of the activity of shifting material over the past time. He said that this was a complicated task, which required cooperation efforts of the two countries, Vietnam and the Russian Federation. The signing of the Agreement on shifting materials showed attitude and responsibility of the two countries about nuclear security. The collaboration between Vietnam and the Russian Federation was part of the comprehensive multi-dimensional cooperation process between the two nations. The Treaty on shifting materials was the fifth treaty in atomic energy field. The two countries have also collaborated in building Ninh Thuận nuclear power plant, establishing new nuclear research center, training human resources for atomic energy industry. Mr. Spassky Nikolai Nikolaev expressed his thanks for Vietnamese agencies together with the Russian partner for overcoming a long way to move towards the singing of this Agreement.
With the witness of Minister Nguyễn Quân, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Vietnam and representatives of agencies in Vietnam’s atomic energy field, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lê Đình Tiến and Deputy Director of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporate of the Russian Federation signed the Agreement.
The signing of the Agreement between the Government of Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of the Russian Federation on cooperation in order to bring used nuclear materials of research reactor piles in the Russian Federation once affirmed fully responsible attitude of the two countries, Vietnam and the Russian Federation in ensuring nuclear security, weapon non-popularization and mark the important step in cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation on using atomic energy for peaceful purposes.