Speakers in a seminar here on Thursday emphasised the need for promoting co-operation on various technical and organisational aspects which could act as an essential tool for the further development of nuclear safety and security regimes.
They were addressing the inaugural session of "International seminar on nuclear safety and security: Challenges of the 21st century", arranged by Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) in co-operation with International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)", here on Thursday.
While inaugurating the seminar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar underlined the vital role of safe and secure nuclear power generation in alleviating the acute energy shortages. The Minister mentioned that the government was determined to increase the share of nuclear power in Pakistan's electricity mix.
The Minister, while congratulating the PNRA on its 10th anniversary, paid rich tributes to the Pakistani nuclear scientists, engineers, operators and regulators in advancing the country's development agenda. Hina Rabbani Khar said the revival of economy and socio-economic development of the country is the foremost priority of the government.
Unanimous approval by the IAEA of Chashma-3 and Chashma-4 nuclear power plants was an important recognition of Pakistan's expertise in the safe and secure operation of these plants and the country's role as a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology.
In the context of Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan, the Minister noted that Pakistan has had an impressive safety record. The safety examination of all the nuclear power plants was recently evaluated by PNRA and the Authority had certified all the plants, she added.
She further said that a number of challenges were being faced by the global non-proliferation regime, adding the long established principals and norms in this area were being set aside for political and commercial considerations. The Minister for State underscored the need for an equitable, non-discriminatory and criteria-based approach to advance the universally shared goals of non-proliferation and promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Chairman PNRA Jamshed Azim Hashmi, in his welcome address highlighted the significance of nuclear safety and security. He emphasised the need for promoting co-operation on various technical and organisational aspects, which could act as essential tool for the further development of nuclear safety and security regimes.
Chairman expressed his gratitude to IAEA for its co-operation and support in organising this seminar. Experts from IAEA, PNRA and from a number of reputable national and international organisations working in the field of nuclear safety represented their research work and shared their experiences on issues of regulatory interest. The seminar will continue until 23 April 2011.
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