Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero warned this Monday about a possible escalation in the use of nuclear weapons and considered that the war in Ukraine puts the world “in a scenario that threatens security and common well-being”, when exposing in the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which takes place in Austria.
The foreign minister participated in the organization’s meeting that began this Monday and will continue until September 30 at the Vienna International Centerin which representatives of the 175 member states take part.
During his presentation, Cafiero warned that “nuclear issues are once again raising a level of concern that seemed reserved for the history books. We are facing a scenario that threatens our security and our common well-being.”
“Every day the war that is being waged in Ukraine following the invasion of the Russian Federation reminds us that we can stand on the brink of a greater tragedy and adds security concerns in a double aspect. On the one hand, the one that has to do with the safety of nuclear plants. On the other, the one that is linked to the warlike use of atomic energy, which is once again part of diplomatic conversation and public affairs,” the foreign minister assessed.
In this sense, the head of the Palacio San Martín remarked that “after decades of agreements on stockpile reduction and the general acceptance of the principles against non-proliferation, not even the possibility of speculating on the use of nuclear weapons should be allowed”.
Cafiero emphasized that “The Argentine Republic makes a call to avoid any action that could endanger the nuclear facilities or with radioactive material and expose the population to a future that is difficult to measure”.
The head of the Palacio San Martín reaffirmed that “Argentina promotes the inalienable right to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, enshrined in the fourth article of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”, while calling for “prudence” in the face of the risks that run the world
“With the same spirit of collaboration, I hereby call for prudence and express my concern about the risks that threaten the planet, both on behalf of my country and on behalf of an entire region, because Argentina today holds the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)”, he said to clarify that this mention “It is not a simple geographical reference: it is the most densely populated zone of peace in the world.”
Cafiero also maintained that in Latin America and the Caribbean “we know that integration, in any of its forms, is a tool for peace.”
“We know that the dignity of peoples is at stake in development with social justice and not on the battlefield. We know that we can only fight daily against inequality, exclusion and rejection in community with our neighbors,” he added. Likewise, recalled that “Argentina made its nuclear program a long-term policy and managed to become a relevant actor in the different international forums”.
And he added that “for decades” Argentina has also been “an exporter of responsible nuclear technology, and extended its cooperation ties with countries around the world, most of them present here today, from a collaborative logic with a marked emphasis on technology transfer for the benefit of all parties”.
Argentina is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency since its creation in 1957 and is part of 46 technical cooperation projects (PCT), of which 10 are national between Argentine institutions and the IAEA, directly. It also participates in 25 coordinated research projects (PCI) related to nuclear science and applications.
