During a joint press conference with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, His Excellency, Head of the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Naeem Abd Yaser Al-Aboudi affirmed Iraq’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and its employment in the educational, development and health fields.

Dr. Al-Aboudi reviewed that joint work with the International Atomic Energy Agency to establish an Iraqi nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes will contribute to provide scientific and technical treatments in the field of cancerous diseases and combating them, desertification, confronting the climate change crisis and water treatment.

His Excellency added that Iraq has qualified scientists to restore its role and right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Dr. Al-Aboudi highlighted that the past two weeks have witnessed a visit via the International Atomic Energy Agency team to Iraq, which culminated in the visit of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Baghdad in order to resume cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Atomic Energy Commission, as well as the Iraqi government appreciated the international agency’s support in establishing a zero-sum nuclear reactor for educational purposes and training students and researchers.

For his part, the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi announced on the start of a new cooperation from the International Atomic Energy Agency with Iraq based on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Mr. Grossi confirmed the presence of a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Baghdad to work on achieving a peaceful nuclear energy program that takes into account international standards, like a number of countries in the region.

Mr. Grossi revealed the intention of an Iraqi team from different specializations to visit the International Agency’s headquarters in Vienna to formulate a road map for the Iraqi peace program.

Mr. Grossi expressed his happiness at the launch of the “Rays of Hope” initiative, which aimed at developing and training Iraqi medical personnel and students in a number of specializations in order to build necessary capabilities in the use of nuclear in the medical and health aspects.

Mr. Grossi reviewed that a team from the agency visited Iraqi medical and health institutions specialized in radiation therapy and was informed of their needs in the therapeutic, educational and research aspects.