 | Statement by the Deputy Permanent Representative, Mr. Chrysostomos Stavrou, on the occasion of the appointment of the new Director General of the IAEA
03/12/2019
Statement by
Mr. Chrysostomos Stavrou,
Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the IAEA
on the occasion of the Second Special Session of the IAEA General Conference
Vienna, 2 December 2019
Agenda item 4: Approval of the Appointment of the Director General
Madam President,
1. The Republic of Cyprus fully aligns with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Finland, on behalf of the European Union, as well as with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Belgium, on behalf of the Western European Group (WEG).
Madam President,
2. We warmly congratulate Ambassador Rafael Grossi on his appointment as Director General of the IAEA by the General Conference after the Board appointed him by acclamation on 30 October 2019. As already highlighted by many delegations today, Ambassador Grossi, is the first Latin American to take the top job at the IAEA, which is something that we very much welcome.
3. Ambassador Grossi experience as the Permanent Representative of Argentina to the IAEA, his designation to preside at the NPT 2020 Review Conference and previous work at the Agency will undoubtedly enable him to succeed as Director General.
4. We very much look forward to working with him in a constructive manner, in order to fulfil the goals of IAEA, and most notably the “Atoms for Peace and Development” moto, as introduced a few years ago by late DG Amano. We wish Ambassador Grossi all the success in his very important role, and we would like to assure him of our full support.
5. In closing, we would also like to thank Ambassador Kumlin Granit, Chair of the IAEA Board of Governors, and her team, for the transparency and efficiency during the complex election process of the new IAEA Director General, as well as Mr Cornel Feruta, for his dedication and steady leadership during the past months as Acting DG. We wish him all the best and success for his future career and personally.
Thank you, Madam President.
| |