Statement
by
H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Thailand
The Nuclear Security Summit
25 March 2014
The Hague I would like to begin by reaffirming Thailand’s full commitment to the NSS process.
The NSS process has indeed generated the needed political will and commitments to action. We are pleased to see commitments under the Washington Work Plan translated into actions at the national, regional and international levels. But, admittedly, implementation has so far been uneven among countries, leading to “weak links” in the international architecture for nuclear security.
Taking this opportunity, I wish to suggest three points on how we can do better.
First, each country needs to put in place a robust domestic regime governing nuclear security. For Thailand, since the Seoul Summit, we have moved to strengthen domestic legislation on Physical Protection Measures in line with the IAEA standards, establish a Center of Excellence for Nuclear Forensics, and join the Proliferation Security Initiative or the PSI, among others.
We have also submitted a national progress report of what we have done since the Washington Summit. And here, I wish to propose that the progress report should not just highlight the progress achieved. It should also identify challenges that each country is facing and the assistance it needs to overcome them.
Together, the international community needs to do more to help countries bridge this capacity gap, which is at the heart of the implementation challenge.
Second, we need to do more to strengthen the role of the IAEA and promote regional cooperation to complement international and national efforts. In particular, we welcome the enhanced role of the IAEA to help address the capacity gap.
I wish to recall the recent visit to Thailand of Director General Amano, during which we discussed how we could work closer together at the regional level in Southeast Asia. Thailand very much looks forward to further exploring with the IAEA on how we can partner to help build up capacity of regional countries.
The Network of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Southeast Asia or ASEANTOM, which was established last year, could act as a focal point for mobilizing regional cooperation in Southeast Asia. We believe that strengthening of regional cooperative mechanism like what we are doing in Southeast Asia would help reinforce the international architecture.
Third, when it comes to building a nuclear security culture, government’s effort alone is not sufficient. Thailand therefore welcomes a more vigorous engagement of key stakeholders, which will help raise awareness about the critical importance of a nuclear security culture among all segments of the society.
Lastly, but importantly, I wish to express my delegation’s utmost appreciation to you, Mr. Prime Minister, and to the Government of the Netherlands for the warm hospitality and the excellent arrangements for our meeting.
--กองการสื่อมวลชน กรมสารนิเทศ กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ--