Mondino in Austria: An agenda focused on nuclear technology and atomic energy, plus a meeting with IAEA Director Rafael Grossi

Following her official visit to Switzerland, where she had an extensive political and economic agenda, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino arrived in Austriato attend the 68th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), being held this week in Vienna, where she was welcomed by IAEA's Director General, Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi. She also chaired, together with Mr. Grossi, the presentation of the NUTEC Programme for plastics control in Antarctica, which will be developed by Argentina. She then held a bilateral meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

Today, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino was hosted for a working meeting by IAEA's Director General, Rafael Grossi, during which she expressed Argentina's support for and commitment to the Agency, while recognizing the Agency's leadership, especially in the current global context.

They both discussed the key points of Argentina's nuclear programme, and she praised the progress made with respect to multi-purpose reactor RA-10, the construction of which is well under way and which Mondino visited last February. They also discussed the proposals to reactivate the Heavy Water Industrial Plant, now under analysis by the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA).

In addition, Grossi especially recognized the work made by Argentina in the Chair of the IAEA Board of Governors, which highlights Argentina´s leadership in the nuclear field, and he then renewed the cooperation offer to support the activities currently being undertaken by Argentina, with the endorsement of the IAEA.

The Foreign Minister and the IAEA Director General also addressed different initiatives in which Argentina has been cooperating with IAEA, including "Rays of Hope", "Atoms for Food" and "NUTEC Plastics", among others.

It should be recalled that Mondino had met with Grossi on 28 December 2023, on the occasion of the visit by the Director General to Argentina before going to the Marambio Station in the Argentine Antarctic within the framework of the NUTEC Plastics Initiative. During Grossi's visit, the IAEA and the Secretariat of Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the "Atoms for Food" initiative.

Argentina and the IAEA, united to control plastic pollution in Antarctic seas

The Foreign Minister and Rafael Grossi later headed an event where the NUTEC Plastics Portal was presented, and they shared the results of the mission to Antarctica, in which President Milei and the IAEA Director General participated on 4 and 6 January 2024. The NUTEC Plastics initiative is a programme that studies marine plastic pollution and includes almost all of the world´s seas, with the exception of the Antarctic seas. Under this agreement, Argentina is responsible for expanding this program to the White Continent.

During her presentation, Mondino noted that Argentina has had an "active role in the advancement of scientific research and development with regard to the Antarctic environment in the various fora of the Antarctic Treaty System, drawing on Argentina's experience with 120 years of uninterrupted presence in the White Continent."

In that regard, the Foreign Minister added: "There is an increasing concern to understand the impact of plastics and microplastics on the Antarctic ecosystem. The scientific cooperation agreement to expand the NUTEC Plastic project to the Antarctic region entrusts the Argentine Antarctic Institute with the technical, scientific and operational aspects of the project, with the goal of studying microplastic particles in the Antarctic ecosystems and analyzing their degradation by using physical and chemical methods or biological processes."

In addition, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed that "Argentina's commitment to the Antarctic environment, as well as to international and scientific cooperation, have been clearly demonstrated. We believe that the NUTEC Portal will be a valuable and efficient mechanism to support IAEA efforts to address shared challenges through peaceful uses of nuclear energy."

It should be noted that the IAEA is the main global forum for the promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, including electric energy production, within the framework of the United Nations System. Argentina has been a member of the Agency since its creation in 1957 and has since continuously been a member of the Board of Governors, the main decision-making body composed of 35 members, taking into account nuclear development and geographic representation. The IAEA is an important source of technical and scientific cooperation for the Argentine nuclear sector and for other Argentine public entities and/or institutions.

Meeting with the Foreign Minister of Hungary

On the margins of the 68th General Conference and as her last morning activity in Vienna, Foreign Minister Mondino met with her counterpart from Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, and discussed issues related to the trade and investment bilateral agenda (including the progress of the MERCOSUR-EU Agreement negotiations). During the meeting, Minister Mondino conveyed to her counterpart Argentina's interest in expanding and diversifying bilateral trade.

In the field of nuclear and space cooperation, both ministers agreed on the great possibilities offered by nuclear energy and space capacities, and mentioned the research reactors as an area of potential interest, as well as the training of human resources. The representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), Leonardo Sobehart; the CNEA, Germán Guido Lavalle; and INVAP, Darío Giussi, discussed the various capacities of Argentina and mentioned possible instances of joint cooperation.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister renewed the "strong commitment" of his government to Argentina's accession to the OECD and offered his cooperation to achieve that goal. Finally, Mondino and Szijjártó discussed regional and global issues.

The Argentine Foreign Minister would then attend the presentation of the CNEA Multi-purpose Research Reactor RA-10 which is under construction in Argentina, and visit the Argentine stand of the IAEA Conference, in which the developments of the Argentine nuclear programme are displayed, through CNEA and INVAP.

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