Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi called for the peaceful use of nuclear energy during the 65th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was held virtually on Monday.

“We must push peaceful use of nuclear energy,” she said in a press statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

It is undeniable that nuclear power can become a terrible weapon, she noted.

The world is yet to be fully free from the threat of nuclear weapons as the nuclear arms race is still ongoing, she said.

On the other hand, nuclear power can also be used for beneficial purposes, she said. Thus, the aspects of safety, security, and protection must be ensured, she added.

One of the benefits of nuclear technology is that it can be used to develop high-yielding rice varieties, she pointed out. Since 2013, Indonesia, represented by the Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR), has developed 23 new rice varieties in cooperation with the IAEA and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Marsudi said.

These endeavors have received global appreciation and have brought Indonesia the FAO/IAEA Outstanding Achievement Award in 2014 and 2021, she added.

“We feel respected to receive the FAO/IAEA Outstanding Achievement Award. This award reflects the recognition of the social and economic impact of our collaboration as well as the contribution of nuclear technology to sustainable development,” the minister said.

Nuclear technology can also play a role in detecting new variants of COVID-19 and preventing pandemics in the future, she added.

Indonesia is committed to constantly supporting IAEA’s efforts to increase the capacity of nuclear science and technology among developing countries through inclusive technical cooperation, including the South-South Cooperation, Marsudi affirmed.

“Let us continue collective works to accelerate and expand the contribution of atomic energy to (bring) peace, health, and prosperity, as contained in the IAEA Charter,” she remarked.

The 65th IAEA General Conference will be held at the UN Headquarters in Vienna, Austria till September 24, 2021. The annual meeting, which was held for the first time in 1956, aims to direct IAEA’s policies towards ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology.

Source: Antara News