5 Jul (NucNet): International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Yukiya Amano said the agency will strengthen cooperation with Myanmar and highlighted the role of nuclear science and technology in supporting development.
Mr Amano made the comments during discussions with state counsellor and union minister for foreign affairs Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit to the southeast Asian country.
Ms Suu Kyi said Myanmar, which has no nuclear facilities, was interested in nuclear technology for improving irrigation, attracting investment for the export of agricultural products and improving cancer care.
According to an IAEA statement on 3 July 2017, Mr Amano welcomed progress being made to establish a new nuclear safety law in Myanmar and underlined the importance of having a robust safety infrastructure.
He called for the early entry into force of the additional protocol to Myanmar’s safeguards agreement, which was signed in 2013.
The additional protocol is a legal document that equips the IAEA with important additional measures that provide for broader access to information about a state’s nuclear programme, increased physical access by IAEA inspectors and improved administrative arrangements.
According to the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Myanmar has consistently looked to Russia for assistance increasing its technical capabilities in the nuclear field.
In 2001, Russia signed a contract to design a 10 MW research reactor in Myanmar for radioisotope production.
The NTI said that although the deal for a research reactor ultimately fell through, a few hundred specialists from Myanmar have trained in nuclear research in Russia.
