Today at the IAEA General Conference, H.E. Zarko Obradovic, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Serbia to the OSCE and Head of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to OSCE and other international organizations gave his statement on behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia. At the beginning of his address, on behalf of Serbian delegation he congratulated to Rafael Mariano Grossi on his reelection as the IAEA Director General, and continued by extending congratulations and wishes of success to the members of the Secretariat and new member states.
The Ambassador Obradovic pointed out that the Republic of Serbia remains in every aspect committed to the IAEA principles of safe and secure use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as well as to the universal objectives of upholding global peace, security and development.
“The Republic of Serbia will continue to act as a constructive partner in all IAEA’s programmes and continuing efforts in reinforcing the nuclear safeguards, in line with the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the principles of the universal reinforcement of non-proliferation regime. It is clear from the aforementioned that the Republic of Serbia deems any strives against nuclear terrorism as its priority” said the Ambassador.
He also expressed his wish to reaffirm the unyielding cooperation of the Republic of Serbia with the international community in implementing the measures of combating the illicit trafficking in nuclear material and other radiation sources, especially by strengthening their effective physical protection and facilitating the retrieval of orphan sources under regulatory control.
“The Republic of Serbia is also committed to steadily develop its legislative and regulatory framework in the field of radiation and nuclear safety and security, in line with the international standards and the European Union acquis. As a result, the Republic of Serbia will continue to support the IAEA’s vigorous attempts at enhancing the international standards and relevant international legal documents”.
He emphasized that the prime concerns of Serbia are the protection of health of the public, the environmental protection and assurance that the nuclear energy is used solely for peaceful purposes and the achievement of global peace, prosperity and well-being of the future generations. In this regard, the Republic of Serbia will continue to attend to its obligations arising from the relevant international conventions.
By expressing gratitude on the support and assistance Serbia receives from the IAEA, the Ambassador underlined the significance the Republic of Serbia attaches to the IAEA’s technical assistance that proved to be one of key elements in upgrading the international cooperation, building capacities and enabling our country to initiate several national, regional and interregional projects whose successful completion will be the result of continuous support and collaboration.
At the end of his address, the Ambassador Obradovic expressed our full support of the IAEA Annual Report for 2022, and the programmes and the budget for 2024, and reiterated the commitment of the Republic of Serbia to the IAEA’s fundamental principles and goals towards attaining safe and secure use of nuclear energy, and thus, assure you of our adherence to the course of peaceful use of nuclear energy for the sake of each individual and the entire society as well.