Marat Syzdykov: IAEA's Low-Enriched-Uranium Bank will confirm Kazakhstan's leadership in nuclear-free world

Two days ago, on the International Day against Nuclear Tests, IAEA's Low-Enriched-Uranium Bank was opened in Astana. Adviser-envoy at the Kazakh Embassy in Russia, Marat Syzdykov, discussed this event in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

Diplomat highlighted the role of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the fact that Kazakhstan was able to turn nuclear test factor from "national tragedy" into its diplomatic advantage, making anti-nuclear initiatives a part of its image, an instrument for promoting its peace-loving image.

He said during 25 years of independence the republic has signed several international treaties, passed a number of procedures to acquire the status of a nuclear-free state and proposed a number of anti-nuclear initiatives.

An agreement with the IAEA on the creation of the Low-Enriched-Uranium Bank is one of those important events. Marat Syzdykov emphasized that as one of the largest uranium exporters in the world, Kazakhstan supports active development of peaceful atom.

He pointed out that the IAEA's Low-Enriched-Uranium Bank was personally opened by the President of Kazakhstan. "Kazakhstan has already proved itself as a leader in the sphere of nuclear non-proliferation, and the creation of such bank will be an additional factor that will confirm this," he said.

Syzdykov said that Iran will be the first client of this bank. "Iran was supposed to be the first client of this bank since the beggining, it was reflected in the agreements reached during international negotiations on the future of Iranian nuclear program," he said.

Diplomat stressed that Kazakhstan sees nuclear energy as the most promising source of energy in the future. "We know that as a source of energy, hydrocarbons won't last forever: according to different estimates, oil won't be relevant in 30-40 years, gas resources are also not infinite. It is impossible to develop economy without energy, and therefore we must find alternative to hydrocarbons. Uranium has great prospects in this direction," he stressed.

"I think that nuclear energy has great prospects as a source of energy in the future. No wonder many leading states are interested in it. Russia actively works in this direction, including through the development of nuclear power stations in various parts of the world. This is also very important for us," he added.