In March 2010, the then Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, recently appointed, visited our country. During his schedule of meetings, he was invited by the TAEDA Foundation to participate in a working meeting and a dinner at the Palacio Balcarce, hosted by the president of our Foundation, Mario Montoto. On this occasion, he was also interviewed by DEF magazine. In dialogue with the publication, he stated that “nuclear energy should not be limited to developed countries.” He added, regarding his mission at the helm of the IAEA: “We have two objectives: to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.” He assured that the organization could play a key role as an “international neutral organization, for example, by facilitating communication, coordination, and the exchange of information among member countries.” However, he clarified that “the responsibility for ensuring nuclear security is a responsibility of sovereign states.” Regarding the role of Argentina, he highlighted the country’s prominence as a producer of molybdenum-99 – a radioisotope necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer – among its contributions to the medical uses of nuclear energy. He also emphasized the experience of the Argentine-Brazilian Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC), a unique case that “could serve as a reference for other states, which could learn from this experience,” highlighted the official. From the dinner organized by the TAEDA Foundation, which Amano attended with his Chief of Staff, the Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and personalities from the Argentine nuclear sector participated.
