OREANDA-NEWS. November 28, 2008. A Russian-Venezuelan inter-governmental agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy was signed in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov 26 2008 in the presence of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez. The agreement was signed by Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko and Minister of Energy and Petroleum of Venezuela Rafael Ramirez.

The agreement is a basis for cooperation in the following fields:
• fundamental and applied research in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy;
• controlled thermonuclear fusion;
• safety of nuclear facilities and sources of radiation;
• engineering, construction, operation and decommissioning of research reactors and nuclear power plants;
• production of radio-isotopes and their use in industry, medicine and agriculture;
• nuclear and radiation safety, analysis of radiation effects of nuclear energy on the environment;
• prospecting and development of uranium and thorium deposits and their use for peaceful purposes;
• development of infrastructure of nuclear industry;
• drafting of legislative basis in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Export of nuclear materials, equipment, special non-nuclear materials and technologies in the framework of the agreement is carried out in line with the commitments of Russia and Venezuela under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (July 1 1968) as well as the international treaties and agreements on export control.

The agreement says that the equipment and materials of dual purpose and relevant technologies received by Venezuela from Russia:

• should not be used for production of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosives and for achievement of any military goal;
• should be controlled by the International Atomic Energy Agency in line the agreement between Venezuela and IAEA for safeguarding the implementation of the Treaty for the Prevention of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty for as long as they are possessed by Venezuela;
• should not be used for implementation of any activities in the field of nuclear fuel cycle that are not controlled by IAERA;
• should be physically protected at levels that are not lower than the ones specified in IAEA’s physical protection recommendations;
• should not be copied, modified, re-exported or given to any other entities without written permission by Russian foreign economic activity participant in coordination with the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control.

The agreement prohibits transfer of technologies for chemical processing of irradiated fuel, isotopic enrichment of uranium and production of heavy water, their components and any items produced therefrom as well as 20% and more enriched uranium, plutonium and heavy water.

While commenting on the singing of the agreement, Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko pointed out that Venezuela has been IAEA member since 1957 and has signed all documents concerning peaceful use of nuclear energy and there has been no single problem with that country so far.