This year has seen a number of events that have tested the durability of the IAEA's safeguards system, Rumyantsev pointed out. According to him, the agency has proved its ability to perform nuclear arms control functions by carrying out competent inspections of nuclear sites.
The Russian official believes that the universalization of the Additional Protocol to the IAEA's Safeguards Agreement with interested nations should be viewed as the most effective measure to increase the transparency of those nations' nuclear activity.
The recent string of terror attacks in Russia has re-accentuated the barbarian and inhumane nature of the terrorist threat, which we are all facing today, Rumyantsev said. He called on the global community to join efforts to counter terrorism, warning that the threat would become much greater if terrorists got their hands on weapons of mass destruction. "Nuclear terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies-this is a realistic threat now," he said.
Rumyantsev then went on to say that Russia, in cooperation with other countries, takes all necessary measures to prevent this from happening.
"Our country was one of the initiators of the UN Security Council's Resolution 1540 on Nuclear Non-Proliferation, adopted in April this year. It is aimed at stepping up international cooperation in the fight against illegal trade in WMDs, delivery vehicles, and associated materials and technologies," he added.
