ARMENIAN-AMERICAN JOINT ACTION PLAN AGAINST NUCLEAR MATERIALS SMUGGLING SIGNED

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 15

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and RA Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian, on July 14, signed the Joint Action Plan between
the Government of the United States of America and the Government
of the Republic of Armenia on Combating Smuggling of Nuclear and
Radioactive Materials.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the U.S. Embassy in
Armenia, this political agreement expresses the intention of the two
governments to cooperate to increase the capabilities of the Republic
of Armenia to prevent, detect, and respond effectively to attempts
to smuggle nuclear or radioactive materials. With this agreement,
the U.S. and Armenian governments are significantly enhancing their
collaborative efforts to combat the threat that nuclear or highly
radioactive materials could be acquired by terrorists.

This is the fifth agreement of this nature that has been concluded by
the U.S. government’s Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative. Previous
agreements were completed with Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and the
Kyrgyz Republic.

Eight countries and three international organizations have
partnered with the U.S. government to provide assistance to support
implementation of these agreements.