U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Visits the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Julie M. Stafft, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of Kazakhstan, visited the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

During the meeting with the leadership of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the parties discussed the results of long-standing Kazakh-American cooperation in the field of nuclear security and nonproliferation, as well as prospects for further joint efforts.

Cooperation between the National Nuclear Center and U.S. organizations spans more than three decades. Over this period, a number of large-scale projects have been implemented aimed at dismantling nuclear test infrastructure and bringing the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site to a safe condition, reducing the risks of nuclear material proliferation, and developing modern approaches to ensuring nuclear security.

One of the key areas of the partnership has been the conversion of research reactors operated by the NNC RK to low-enriched uranium fuel. As a result of years of joint efforts, the conversion of the IVG.1M reactor has been successfully completed. Cooperation is currently ongoing on the conversion of the IGR research reactor, the management of highly enriched fuel, and other areas.

As part of the visit, Julie M. Stafft was briefed on the scientific and technical capabilities of the National Nuclear Center. The Ambassador toured the Exhibition Hall on the History of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the Experimental Field Site and the “Olimp” Facility, the IGR research reactor complex, the Kazakhstani Materials Science Tokamak KTM, and the laboratory facilities of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

A special part of the program was a visit to the Alley of Peace, established in Kurchatov to mark the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Test Site. As a symbol of continued cooperation and a shared commitment to peace and nuclear security, the U.S. Ambassador planted a tree at the site.

The long-standing partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site has become an example of how a territory once used for the development and testing of nuclear weapons is now being used to advance the goals of peace, science, and international security.