“Hungary is highly respected within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in view of the fact that in recent years is has done very much to guarantee the protection and security of nuclear facilities both within its own territory and globally”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared on Monday in his speech at the IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security.

“Hungary has also received praise from the IAEA with relation to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, because its continued construction has grown into a true, international project. In addition to the Russian chief contractor, major American, German and French companies have now also won tenders and will be becoming involved in the construction work, meaning the project has become a major East-West economic cooperation platform within the field of nuclear energy, which puts Hungary in an excellent position”, the Minister said.

“The major part of international political discourse fundamentally concerns climate change in view of the fact that the agenda of the European Union and of global politics are currently ruled by the issue of how we can reduce our pollutant emissions and how European Union and global climate policy targets can be achieved”, Mr. Szijjártó pointed out. “It has by now become clear that the realisation of climate goals is essentially impossible without the use of nuclear energy. Hungary is a frontrunner in this issue, since we are in the process of preparing the construction of further nuclear power plant blocks in Hungary, and are assuring that the country’s electricity supply is secure in the long term, and that we are able to preserve the utility charge cuts we have achieved”, he explained.

“Maintaining and expanding the capacity of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant is the most important guarantors of Hungarian energy security and of low electricity prices”, he stated. “Accordingly, we continue to represent the standpoint that any and all discrimination against nuclear energy is unacceptable, and that every country has the right to determine its own energy mix, meaning what forms of energy it wishes to use, and to what extent and in what proportions. It is thanks to nuclear energy and renewable energy sources, and particularly solar energy, that Hungary will be able to achieve the climate goals that it has set, partly on a national basis, and partly on a European Union basis”, he underlined.

“However, nuclear security plays a major role with relation to nuclear energy, meaning that nuclear power plants and nuclear institutions must be protected from external security risks, and in view of the fact that terrorism is unfortunately increasingly widespread around the world, the security of nuclear facilities and materials must obviously be reinforced”, he said.

“Hungary is Co-Chair of the Nuclear Security Contact Group (NSCG), and in 2021 Hungary will be hosting the next, high-level meeting of the Global Initiative to Counter Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT). These two facts also clearly indicate that Hungary is acknowledged worldwide for its efforts to establish nuclear security”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister declared.

(MTI)