Armenian president: We never had problems with nuclear waste

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan made a speech at the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, according to the presidential press service.

President Sargsyan said he joins the participants in expressing thanks to the Netherlands for the excellent organization of the summit. He stressed that Armenia is actively involved in the international processes aimed at solving nuclear security problems and since the Seoul summit the country has taken steps toward the coordinated goals.

The president said that in May 2013 Armenia ratified the 2005 amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management. In his words, Armenia strengthened the legal instruments of control and record of nuclear materials through amendments to the Law on Safe Use of Peaceful Atomic Energy.

Serzh Sargsyan said that with the aim of neutralizing the danger of nuclear terrorism, the Laboratory for Analysis of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials was set up in Armenia in 2013 with the assistance of the U.S, which increased Armenia’s opportunities to respond to the transnational threat of nuclear smuggling, the president said noting that regional cooperation plays a key role in the prevention of such crimes.

“At the session today the Azerbaijani president raised the issue of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant’s security. I should note that we cooperate closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure the security of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, persistently fulfilling the requirements of the Agency’s technical document No 640. The results of a mission conducted by IAEA prove that,” S. Sargsyan said.

Speaking about rumors about nuclear waste problems in Armenia, the president said this information is untrue.

“As regards the rumors that we allegedly had problems with nuclear waste, such a lie is first of all a manifestation of mistrust of international structures as we coordinate all our programs with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the Armenian president said in conclusion.