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FM: IAEA greatly appreciates Hungary’s efforts to guarantee security of its nuclear assets

The foreign minister has revealed that US, German and French companies have won tenders in the Paks project, “which has grown to become a platform for large-scale East-West economic cooperation”.

The foreign minister has highlighted how the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) greatly appreciates Hungary’s efforts in recent years to guarantee the security of the country’s nuclear assets.

Speaking at an international conference on nuclear security in Vienna, Péter Szijjártó said the IAEA also recognizes the importance of international investment at Hungary's sole nuclear power plant at Paks.

The foreign minister also revealed that US, German and French companies have won tenders in the Paks project, “which has grown to become a platform for large-scale East-West economic cooperation”.

Minister Szijjártó noted the importance of protecting nuclear assets in light of the heightened risk of terrorism.

The minister highlighted that Hungary co-chairs the Nuclear Security Contact Group (NSCG) and next year the country will host a high-level meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT). “These two facts also clearly demonstrate that Hungary’s efforts in the area of nuclear protection are globally recognized,” he said.

According to MTI, Minister Szijjártó noted that climate policy is at the heart of international discourse, focusing on ways to reduce emissions and to meet European and global climate policy targets. “It’s by now broadly accepted that it would be impossible to reach climate targets without the use of nuclear energy,” he said.

“Hungary is a leader in this matter because we are currently preparing the construction of a new nuclear block which will guarantee the security of the country’s energy supplies in the long term while conserving our achievements in reducing public utility fees,” he said. “We insist on our standpoint that discrimination against nuclear energy is unacceptable and every country has the right to compile its own energy mix.”

The minister concluded that Hungary’s climate targets can be met through national and European measures thanks to nuclear energy and renewable energy, including solar energy.

Photo credit: hirado.hu