24.05.2007 // Minatom.ru

President Putin has sent a welcoming address to the participants and guests of the international nuclear disaster prevention conference in Luxembourg on May 24–25

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has sent a welcoming address to the participants and guests of the international conference on nuclear disaster prevention that is being conducted in Luxembourg on May 24–25, reports the press service of the President of Russia.

“The key objective of your representative forum is to consider ways of strengthening the nuclear weapons nonproliferation regime. The end of the “cold war” has significantly reduced the threat of nuclear disaster but the world has not become safer. Today, we are faced with new, no less dangerous, challenges: international terrorism and the danger that terrorists may get access to nuclear weapons or related materials,” says Putin.

The growing role of force in the world processes constitutes an additional destabilizing factor. Many countries are feeling increasing temptation to create their own nuclear weapons. We must stop such negative tendencies by means of multilateral diplomacy and international legal instruments.

Putin says that the Nonproliferation Treaty is the most important component of international security and stability, the key instrument for neutralizing impending challenges. Disarmament, nonproliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy can certainly help to attain this goal. 

“Russia fully meets its disarmament commitments: we are effectively implementing relevant agreements and are ready for further constructive steps in the sphere. We hope that the international community and individual countries will become our partners in ensuring security and stability in the world.”

“Besides, we should create political and economic prerequisites for the full exercise of the right of non-nuclear countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in full compliance with their commitments under the Nonproliferation Treaty. Our initiative for creating a prototype of global nuclear energy infrastructure is aimed exactly at this goal. The first step in this direction is the establishment of the international uranium enrichment center in Russia.”

One more important step is the active support of the IAEA in its supervisory activities.

“I am sure that you will carry out an objective analysis of the nonproliferation situation in the world and will work out effective recommendations on how to strengthen the nonproliferation regime,” says Putin.

Putin’s address was read out by the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko.

Kiriyenko also said that Russia has destroyed the biggest amount of military fission materials in the world.