Kingdom’s anti-chemical weapon stance stressed

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of the National Committee on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and their Destruction, Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa and her accompanying delegation met Director General of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA) Hamdi Salem.  

The meeting comes on the sidelines of the participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s delegation in the activities of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), currently held in Vienna. Dr Shaikh Rana praised the existing co-operation between the Kingdom and the AAEA, reviewing ways of developing bilateral relations and emphasising the importance of supporting scientific researches in the field, topped by support for the Arab Strategy for Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy.

Dr Hamdi, in his turn, appreciated the good efforts made by the National Committee, headed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in banning the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their destruction, asserting AAEA keenness on cooperating with the Kingdom of Bahrain and the world. The Kingdom is a member of the Executive Board of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency and chaired its 59th General Meeting.

Separately, the delegation of the Kingdom to the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met with Jane Gerardo-Abaya, Director of Technical Co-operation for Asia and the Pacific, on the sidelines of the Annual Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna. The delegation of the Kingdom expressed its pride to meet Professor Abaya and extended to her sincere congratulations on her recent appointment as Director of the Technical Cooperation Division for Asia and the Pacific at the IAEA, wishing her every success in her duties.

The delegation commended the great efforts of the Technical Co-operation Department and its outstanding provision of support to member states to enable them to benefit from the advanced technical sciences and comprehensive scientific and technical training to ensure peaceful use of nuclear energy. They stressed the need to increase the volume of bilateral co-operation between the Kingdom and the IAEA in all matters that would accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, welcoming all aspects of co-operation with the technical team.

For her part, Professor Abaya appreciated the Kingdom’s continued keenness on supporting the IAEA to carry out its tasks and responsibilities, wishing the Kingdom of Bahrain constant progress and prosperity. The meeting also discussed a number of issues related to peaceful use of nuclear energy and all aspects of enhancing co-operation between the Kingdom and the IAEA.