Twenty experts from Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine took part in a recent IAEA technical visit at the Ruse-Danube Bridge – a jointly staffed crossing point at Bulgaria and Romania’s shared border – with the aim of enhancing regional approaches to combatting illicit trafficking of nuclear or other radioactive material.
The four-day technical visit, in Sofia and Ruse, Bulgaria, was designed to support the efforts of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to strengthen regional collaboration and to enhance their national nuclear security regimes, specifically related to establishing and maintaining border nuclear security systems and measures to prevent, detect and respond to the smuggling of lost or stolen nuclear and other radioactive material.
“While the responsibility for nuclear security within a State lies with that State, insufficient nuclear security measures in one country can impact the measures in place in another country, so international and regional cooperation is imperative,” said Elena Buglova, IAEA Director of the Division of Nuclear Security. “Effective border controls and regional cooperation in the area of nuclear security are vital for countries to protect themselves and their neighbours.”
