H.E., the Ambassador Zarko Obradovic, Head of Permanent Mission of Serbia to OSCE and Other International Organizations in Vienna, gave the statement on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia.
The Ambassador took this opportunity to express the satisfaction with the manner and scope of cooperation between our country and the IAEA, which is of extreme importance for the development of the overall field of radiation and nuclear safety and security in the Republic of Serbia, confirmed our commitment to the work of the Secretariat, and expressed our adherence to the IAEA principles and goals towards safe and secure peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Accordingly, Obradovic pointed out that the Republic of Serbia remains consistent in its further development of the national legislative and regulatory framework in the field f radiation and nuclear safety and security in line with the international standards and the EU acquis, as well as priority combat against nuclear terrorism.
The Republic of Serbia attaches priority importance to combating nuclear terrorism and strongly supports the international community in implementing the measures to deter illicit trafficking of nuclear material and other radiation sources, especially by strengthening their proper physical protection and retrieval of orphan sources under regulatory control.
“In this regard, the Republic of Serbia attaches priority importance to combating nuclear terrorism and strongly supports the international community in implementing the measures to deter illicit trafficking of nuclear material and other radiation sources, especially by strengthening their proper physical protection and retrieval of orphan sources under regulatory control. The public health care, environmental protection, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technologies in support of global peace, prosperity and welfare of future generations, now more than ever, remain the prime consideration of our country, added Obradovic.
He emphasized that Serbia will continue to attend to its obligations arising from the relevant international conventions and documents, especially the Code of Conduct on the safety and security of radiation sources, as a legally non-binding instrument, as well as the Guidance on the import and export of radioactive sources and the Guidance on the management of disused sealed radioactive sources, bearing in mind the relevance the IAEA attaches to these documents in terms of the safety and security of radiation sources in general.
He also pointed at the importance of professional and financial support our country receives from the IAEA and underlined that the technical cooperation between Serbia and the IAEA is currently carried out through 11 new and 11 ongoing regional projects, as well as five new and four ongoing interregional projects which are a part of the current project cycle for 2024-2025.
Obradovic explained that as a result, the Republic of Serbia participates in a number of meetings which are organized by other IAEA departments, such as technical meetings, conferences, coordinated research activities, different specialized missions and other activities also subject to oversight.
He also emphasized our gratitude on the IAEA support in the field of human health – primarily nuclear medicine and radionuclide therapy, radiopharmaceutical production, control of transboundary spread of animal diseases, improvement of radiation safety, which, bearing in mind the possibility to cooperate with the IAEA experts, has been of great importance for the Republic of Serbia.
“At the same time, we have completed a number of consultancy and expert meetings, trainings and participations in the international meetings. The Republic of Serbia, through its relevant institutions, has also hosted multiple fellowships and regional workshops, and our experts have participated in a number of expert missions within the IAEA TC Programme, said the Ambassador.
As one of the examples of our close cooperation with the IAEA is a recent successful and fruitful visit by the IAEA expert mission led by Mr Jing Zhang to our country when Mr Zhang and his associates had meetings with the high representatives of the Republic of Serbia and participated in the workshop “How IAEA can assist Serbia in the development of a nuclear power program through TC interregional projects” which was organized by Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate.
The Ambassador Obradovic took this opportunity to announce the joint organization by the IAEA and Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate of a two-week advanced interregional course in the field of nuclear law at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade on 28 October 2024 when a number of presentations on nuclear law will be held by the IAEA experts.
He reminded that the Republic of Serbia signed in July this year the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of application of nuclear energy development in Serbia whose signatories, among others, are the competent ministries, regulatory body, institutes, public companies, faculties and other relevant organizations. “This Memorandum underlines two facts: the importance of synergy between all state bodies and institutions in nuclear energy application development on one hand, and the international cooperation on the other”, said Zarko Obradovic.
He expressed his steady belief that strong cooperation with the IAEA is the only right choice for future development and that, thanks to full support of this renowned organization, the Republic of Serbia can considerably enhance the field of radiation and nuclear safety and security in modern times.
“In closing my statement, let me reassure you that the Republic of Serbia remains committed to further development of its cooperation with the IAEA so that the national professionals and experts, above all, could accept and adopt good practice and apply expert knowledge”, concluded the Ambassador Obradovic.