MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine diplomat elected Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Ambassador Grossi is a career diplomat with over thirty-five years of professional experience in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) elected Argentine Ambassador Rafael Mariano Grossi for the post of Director-General for the period 2020-2024, whose appointment will be approved by the General Conference of the agency.

Argentina welcomes the nomination of Ambassador Grossi, and also thanks and highlights the support of the international community for such a significant candidacy.

Ambassador Grossi is a career diplomat with over thirty-five years of professional experience in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament, and is currently the Permanent Representative of Argentina at the IAEA. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Director General of the agency.

The election of an Argentine at the head of the IAEA is a recognition of the Latin American and Caribbean region as a nuclear-weapon-free zone, and their contribution to international peace and security.

It is, also, a recognition for Argentina as a relevant player in nuclear issues at international level. Argentina has a robust nuclear program, with a long tradition in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and a marked export profile, together with an active diplomacy in international forums on nuclear issues.

Russia's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, tweeted early Tuesday that the IAEA board of governors selected Grossi as its new director general. He succeeds the late Yukiya Amano who died in July.

Three other candidates were nominated for the job: Cornel Feruta of Romania, its chief coordinator under Amano and the acting director general since his death; Marta Ziakova of Slovakia; and Lassina Zerbo of Burkina Faso.