ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Monday acknowledged Iraq as a “key partner” of the agency and praised its commitment to utilize nuclear energy peacefully for programs such as soil desalination and medical treatment in a meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
“Iraq is one of the key countries working with the agency,” Rafael Grossi. head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told Sudani in Baghdad, praising Iraq’s efforts to harness the energy for peaceful purposes such as “energy, soil desalination, and other peaceful applications.”
Grossi arrived in Baghdad on Monday to meet with Iraqi officials as part of the agency’s “commitment to strengthening the nonproliferation regime in difficult times in the Middle East and showcasing the benefits of nuclear science for Iraq and Syria,” he said in a post on X.
Important to meet with 🇮🇶 PM @IraqiPMO’s @mohamedshia in Baghdad. @IAEAorg continues its commitment to helping Iraq’s decommissioning and remediation efforts and, more importantly, its peaceful nuclear program plans, including exploring SMRs and fighting cancer with #RaysOfHope. pic.twitter.com/CyHiIZtZzq
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) March 18, 2024
Sudani reiterated Baghdad’s desire to “actively participate in peaceful nuclear activities” and lauded IAEA’s support for programs and projects utilizing nuclear energy in the country.
“He affirmed Iraq’s belief that nuclear energy should be a source of prosperity, not a means of developing destructive weapons,” according to a statement from Sudani’s office.
During the meeting, Grossi extended an invitation to Sudani to attend the first ever Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels on March 21.
In a presser with Iraq’s Minister of Higher Education Naim al-Aboudi, Grossi told reporters that a dedicated team of IAEA experts is in Baghdad to carry out “important technical works.”
Thank you for your hospitality, Minister 🇮🇶 @mohesr_en’s Naim Al-Aboudi. @IAEAorg will support Iraq in 3 areas: continue remediation efforts, support plans for a peaceful nuclear program in strict adherence to nonproliferation norms, & expand nuclear medicine through #RaysOfHope. pic.twitter.com/Pta62jITcQ
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) March 18, 2024
“From the IAEA, we have established a program called Rays of Hope, which is destined to strengthen the radiotherapy capacities in medical research in areas of the world, and we have decided through Rays of Hope to give more support, more equipment, more training, more capacity building to Iraqis,” he said.
Grossi also revealed that an Iraqi delegation is scheduled to visit Vienna “in a few days” to “set a roadmap for the Iraqi nuclear peaceful program.”
