BD for peaceful use of nuclear energy for its dev: FM

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said Wednesday Bangladesh had chosen nuclear power generation to maintain the pace of economic development for attaining the middle-income country status by 2021, reports BSS.

"Bangladesh's pursuit of nuclear energy generation would be solidly anchored in our principled position on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation," said the foreign minister while addressing a two-day seminar on 'A Bangladesh-Japan Initiative: Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Proliferation.'

A total of 41 participants have joined the seminar to discuss the ways to meet the challenges of safety concerns. Bangladesh is planning to set up second nuclear power plant and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought Japanese help in this connection during her recent visit to Japan.

Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and the Integrated Support Centre for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Safety (ISCN) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) organised the seminar.

Speaking at the opening session as the chief guest, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had sought Japanese support for building the nuclear plant because it had long and proven expertise in implementing nuclear safeguards and ensuring nuclear safety and security.

Terming Bangladesh's decision for nuclear power production as a bold step, he said this decision must match with fool-proof safety to deliver its mandate.