Hanoi (VNA) – NationalAssembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on September 6 had a meeting with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi as part of activities during his trip to Austriato attend the fifth World Conference ofSpeakers of Parliament (WCSP5).

During the meeting, Grossi thanked Vietnam for its active contributions to hisagency, including a commitment to helping complete the second phase of a modern laboratory to enhance the IAEA’s capacityin supporting countries in combating infectious diseases.

In addition to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the agency is carrying out otheractivities to support countries, including Vietnam, in cancer treatment, watermanagement, and COVID-19 response.

The IAEA official welcomed Vietnam'scandidacy for the IAEA Board of Governors for the 2021-2023 term, affirming that Vietnamis an important partner of the agency.
 
He expressed his hope that Vietnam will continue its contributionsto the IAEA in the time to come. 

For his part, NA Chairman Hue highly valued therole played by the IAEA in and its contributions to promoting the applicationof atomic energy in solving global problems, scientific and technicalcooperation in the nuclear field for peaceful purposes and development, and ensuringsafety and security in this field.

He said the IAEA has effectively supported its member countries affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic through sharing knowledge, assisting medical experts in radiationmedicine and therapy, nuclear medicine, diagnostic imaging, and training in geneticsequencing to characterise the virus that causes COVID-19.

The top Vietnamese legislator congratulated the IAEA on completing the first phaseof a modern laboratory named Yukiya Amano to improve its capacity of assisting countries in fighting and preventing transboundary zoonotic diseases,and addressing challenges related to climate change and food safety, affirmingthat Vietnam will give financial contribution to the second phase of this importantproject.

Hue welcomed the IAEA's cooperation initiatives with UN agencies to promote theapplication of nuclear science in climate change response, health,agriculture, as well as in clean energy transition and promoting nuclear safetyand security.

He suggested the agency share experience and provide technical assistance forVietnam to perfect its legal system to effectively manage and apply atomicenergy in promoting economic development, protecting the environmental andcombating climate change.

He also asked for the IAEA’s assistance for and cooperation with Vietnam in technologytransfer, training and improving capacity in applying nuclear technology in health and COVID-19 prevention and control, expressing his hope that the agency will support Vietnamto participate in its important initiatives, including the IAEA Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) project, especially activitiesof the Working Group on Science and Technology (WGST) of the Inter-ParliamentaryUnion (IPU).

IAEA Director General Grossi took the occasion to announce that his agency willprovide Vietnam with three mobile real-time PCR systemsand a large number of biological products worth 470,000 EUR (558,000 USD).

These devices were researched and developed by the IAEA on the basis ofapplication of nuclear technology for accurate diagnosis and early detection ofdifferent viruses.

NAChairman Hue appreciated the IAEA's gifts, saying that they will effectivelysupport Vietnam in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic./.