Armenia ratifies CIS agreement on movement of radioactive sources

YEREVAN, January 19. /ARKA/. The Armenian parliament has ratified today the agreement on information interaction between the CIS member states on the movement of radioactive sources.

The agreement was signed on June 7, 2016. Only Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova did not sign it.

Hakob Vardanyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, said the agreement promotes the exchange of information in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy and radiation safety, reducing the negative impact on the environment.

“The ratification of the agreement provides for information cooperation between the CIS member states in the event of the transfer of radioactive sources from one country to another, assistance in the detection and prevention of violations of the rules for the transportation of radioactive sources, the introduction of a radioactive source classification procedure and an accounting system to ensure their further safe use and maintenance in case of loss, theft or unauthorized use,” Vardanyan said. 

He emphasized the importance of introducing a procedure for the classification of radioactive sources and an accounting system to facilitate their safe use, prevent illegal traffic and theft. For this, he said, a national register with appropriate software, including for data protection, will be installed.

“Accounting has been in place in Armenia for a long time, and the agreement is just an additional opportunity for expanding cooperation with partners. At the same time, the exchange of secret information is not envisaged,” Vardanyan said.

The agreement, in his words, will strengthen cooperation between the competent authorities of Armenia and the CIS member states, and will also contribute to increasing the level of safety in the field of nuclear energy.

As an example, he noted that almost every year Armenia buys equipment for nuclear power plant, which contains radioactive substances, for example isotopes, and the customs authorities find out about this only at the border.