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MINSK, 7 June (BelTA) – Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Valentin Rybakov attended a regular meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna (Austria). He met with the IAEA top officials to discuss the further interaction on a number of IAEA assessment and expert missions requested by Belarus. They are to take place before the Belarusian nuclear power plant goes online, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Valentin Rybakov, the head of Belarus’ delegation at the regular meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, met with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano and Deputy Director General and Head of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security Juan Carlos Lentijo to discuss the outcome of the recent visits of the IAEA leadership to Belarus.

When speaking at the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on the IAEA annual report 2015, Valentin Rybakov drew attention to the important role of the Agency in promoting the safe use and peaceful use of nuclear energy. The Belarusian diplomat emphasized the IAEA's efforts to provide effective support to nuclear newcomers. The IAEA’s services to provide independent expert assessments, particularly in the area of nuclear safety, are increasingly in demand and contribute to the strengthening of the credibility of nuclear technology and nuclear power.

In the course of the discussion on the role of the IAEA in technical cooperation the Manager from Belarus spoke on behalf of the Union State. That was the first time that a representative of Belarus or Russia spoke on behalf of the Union State in the IAEA.

Technical cooperation is one of the priority and strategic areas for the IAEA, and relevant programs are in demand in all regions of the world.

Belarus and Russia support the IAEA's activities in all the main areas of technical cooperation: nuclear energy, nuclear and radiation safety, nuclear medicine, and non-power uses of nuclear technology. Belarus cooperates with the Agency in four priority areas, including the promotion of nuclear energy infrastructure, improving the efficiency of the national nuclear safety regulator, mitigating the Chernobyl impact and developing nuclear medicine.

A regular session of the IAEA Board of Governors is running in Vienna from 6-10 June. The IAEA Board of Governors, along with the General Conference, is the decision-making body of the Agency. The Board is composed of 35 states.

The Board of Governors generally meets five times a year to make recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA's accounts, program and budget, and approves safeguards agreements and the publication of the IAEA's safety standards. Belarus was elected to the IAEA Board of Governors for 2015-2017. Previously Belarus was a member of the Board in 1999-2001 and 2005-2007.