Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani received Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), today, Monday. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Media Office, Al-Sudani affirmed that Iraq was one of the early countries seeking to join the agency and adhere to its treaties, and it has worked on establishing nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes. He expressed his belief that nuclear energy should be a source of prosperity, not a means to develop lethal weapons. He noted that Iraq submitted its requirements for joining the Nuclear Safety Convention and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management to the agency at the end of last year and is looking forward to re-engaging in peaceful nuclear energy applications.
Al-Sudani expressed Iraq's desire to occupy its natural position on the international stage and to pursue peaceful activities in the field of nuclear energy, looking forward to the agency's assistance in establishing programs and projects related to the development of nuclear applications for peaceful purposes. For his part, Grossi invited Al-Sudani to attend the Nuclear Energy Summit, which will be held in Brussels in March, expressing his appreciation for Iraq's cooperation with the agency and confirming that Iraq is among the leading countries working with the agency. He announced his commitment to work with Iraq on its peaceful programs and projects, which include energy, soil de-salination, disease management, and other peaceful domains. Grossi also expressed his expectation for the Iraqi delegation to visit the agency’s headquarters in the coming weeks to work on developing a roadmap for enhancing Iraq's efforts and building the infrastructure for acquiring nuclear technology in peaceful fields.
