Turkey to be peaceful in nuclear use: President Gül

THE HAGUE - Anadolu Agency

Turkey's President Abdullah Gül (C) shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping as Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite (L) looks on after taking part in a family picture with other world leaders during the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague March 25, 2014. REUTERS Photo

Turkey strongly supports the right to use nuclear energy in peaceful ways, President Abdullah Gül said yesterday at a nuclear security summit in The Hague.

Gül emphasized that Turkey needed to diversify its energy supply sources and have nuclear plants in its energy basket.

“For this purpose, we want to benefit from high technology in safety and security measures. Therefore and in full compatibility with international obligations, we strongly support the right to use nuclear energy in peaceful ways,” Gül said at the summit.

Thirty-five countries, including Turkey, committed to bolstering nuclear security, backing a global drive spearheaded by U.S. President Barack Obama to prevent dangerous materials falling into the hands of terrorists. In a joint statement issued on the sidelines of the third biennial Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), the countries pledged to work closer together and submit to “periodic peer reviews” of their sensitive nuclear security regimes. The nations vowed to “realize or exceed” the standards set out in a series of guidelines laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to safeguard nuclear materials.

The president also said Turkey supported international cooperation on nuclear safety and works on other countries and institutions over the illegal transfer of materials which could be used in nuclear technology.

Frans Timmermans, foreign minister of the Netherlands, which is hosting the summit of more than 50 countries, acknowledged that nuclear security had to remain a “national responsibility” but said closer international cooperation could make “a direct contribution in preventing nuclear material becoming a security risk.”