Mr Chairman,
Since the Seoul Summit further progress has been made in securing nuclear materials, in strengthening national systems and in enhancing international cooperation. I would like to stress a couple of points:
The importance of an independent, competent and powerful national regulator, which sets standards and enforces implementation. Safety and security cannot be compromised by commercial or political pressures.
An effective inter-agency cooperation is crucial in detecting, preventing and mitigating nuclear security threats. Finland has recently designed a model of a nuclear security detection architecture, which is based on the right combination of personnel, technology and an integrated timely operation of all authorities involved.
Safe and secure disposal of nuclear waste is relevant to the Agenda of this Summit. Finland is currently licensing a final underground repository for spent fuel that will meet strict and appropriate security requirements and that will also make use of advanced technology.
Countries have increasingly utilised peer reviews of national nuclear security systems (IPPAS). This is good development. However, we do not make full use of this opportunity if there is no follow-up mission in which the progress is observed and confirmed.
The threat of nuclear terrorism and the need to address it has been in the focus among us from the very beginning. Finland has agreed to host the next Plenary meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) in Helsinki 2015. We welcome to Helsinki also those countries who have not yet joined the Initiative.