Azerbaijani president, IAEA chief discuss cooperation, nuclear safety

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) — Azerbaijan's president on Wednesday discussed cooperation and nuclear safety with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the capital Baku.

"The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency congratulated the head of state on the success of Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement," said a statement by the office of President Ilham Aliyev, who met with the IAEA's Rafael Grossi.

The statement said Grossi noted that Azerbaijan's current position as chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) had "a practical nature" and contributed to international peace and security, while also further strengthening the role of the NAM globally.

According to the statement, Grossi also drew attention to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the IAEA, while Aliyev underlined the importance of using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

"In this regard, the practical importance of relations between Azerbaijan and the agency in the fields of agriculture, medicine, and petrochemicals was noted," the statement further noted.

It also quoted Aliyev as saying that the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia posed a threat to Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the entire region, as well as Yerevan itself.

"At the meeting, the importance of compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by all states was expressed, and concern was expressed that attempts to create nuclear weapons could pose a serious threat to international peace and security."

Earlier in the day, Aliyev chaired the summit of the NAM Contact Group on the fight against COVID-19 in Baku.

Prior to his meeting with Grossi, Aliyev also held meetings with his Turkmen and Libyan counterparts, as well as Algeria's prime minister and Csaba Korosi, the head of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, all of whom arrived in Azerbaijan on the occasion of the NAM meeting.

The NAM was formed in 1961 under the leadership of then Yugoslavia when the world began to polarize during the Cold War. It currently has 120 members.