Today, at Palacio San Martín, Foreign Minister Mondino met with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Argentine diplomat Rafael Mariano Grossi, during his official visit to the country.
Foreign Minister Mondino highlighted Argentina’s support for the Agency and congratulated Grossi on his recent re-election at the helm of the Agency for the 2023-2027 period.
During the meeting, both officials shared their views on the IAEA's agenda and its main initiatives, as well as on the international context and Argentina's role in the global nuclear context. The extensive cooperation between Argentina and the IAEA and its great potential for the future were particularly highlighted.
Grossi referred to his upcoming visit to Antarctica on the occasion of the official launching of the NUTEC Plastics initiative, in collaboration with the Argentine Antarctic Program. The implementation of this Initiative requires training human resources and donations of equipment, which will allow for a more accurate assessment of marine pollution due to microplastics and of their later treatment and reuse. This initiative is a novelty, since it will be the first time the IAEA has conducted an activity in Antarctica.
In addition, Grossi underscored the Rays of Hope programme, which is aimed at enhancing access to nuclear medicine.
Both initiatives are concrete examples of how nuclear technology is beneficial to the people and to the environment.
The main Argentine projects on nuclear energy and applications, particularly the RA-10 multipurpose research reactor and the CAREM small modular reactor, were also discussed.
Both Mondino and Grossi highlighted the role played by nuclear technology and energy in achieving sustainable development and, in that regard, they stressed the present and potential contribution of the Argentine nuclear programme, which has more than 70 years of history and has exported nuclear technology to countries across five continents.
