Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, affirmed during his speech at the 67th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, "the Kingdom's commitment to its national nuclear energy policy, which ensures the highest standards of transparency, reliability, and implementation of the highest levels of safety." He explained that "the Kingdom believes in the positive contributions of nuclear energy to energy security, as well as its social and economic benefits," indicating that the Kingdom, based on this direction, "is working on developing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in various fields, in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to best practices and international experiences in this regard, and by benefiting from the expertise and consulting services provided by the agency in developing infrastructure and human capacities, including the Kingdom's national nuclear energy project, which includes components such as the project to build the first nuclear power plant in the Kingdom."
He pointed to the Kingdom's aspiration to activate a regional cooperation center with the agency to develop human capabilities in areas of preparedness and response to radiological and nuclear emergencies, and other regulatory aspects at national, regional, and international levels. The Energy Minister stated, "The Kingdom emphasizes the importance of international efforts to implement the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to achieve its universality, and it emphasizes the importance of addressing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, which requires the full implementation of resolution (1995) to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region."
He announced the Kingdom's support for the "Radiation of Hope" initiative launched by the agency, with a contribution of two and a half million dollars, to help save lives and address the burdens of cancer diseases using nuclear technologies. He congratulated the agency and member states on the impending launch of the Nuclear Security Training Center in Seibersdorf, scheduled to open in October of this year, which the Kingdom initiated the idea of establishing and financially supporting, with cooperation from other countries, explaining that the Kingdom looks forward to the center becoming a fundamental resource to empower the agency to enhance the capabilities of all member states in many areas of nuclear security and to serve as a reference center for nuclear security.
He concluded his speech by expressing the Kingdom's appreciation "for the agency's commitment to maintaining its neutrality, and for its distinguished efforts in addressing non-proliferation issues, by upholding its responsibilities in safeguards and verification activities, and for its efforts to ensure that these activities are important principles that effectively contribute to the development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy."
