Vienna, Sept. 14 (SANA)Syria, represented by Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, is participating alongside delegations from 182 countries in the 70th General Conference of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) in the Austrian capital, Vienna. The conference opened Monday and runs through Sept. 18.

Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of Syria, Dr. Mudar al-Okla, told SANA that Syria’s participation in the General Conference aims to reactivate technological and scientific partnership programs in the field of peaceful nuclear energy.

“We will take the removal of thenon-compliance itemand the closure of the file as a new turning point toward a phase of transparency, cooperation and practical steps for peaceful nuclear projects and we have placed the uranium under IAEA safeguards, while the materials remain fully preserved and secure inside Syrian territory, al-Okla said.

He added the Syrian delegation will discuss the adoption of future cooperation programs and budgets, the development of nuclear safety standards, and the election of new members to the IAEA Board of Governors as part of the conference agenda.

Foreign and Expatriates MinisterAsaad Hassan al-Shaibani, in a video address to the IAEA General Conference, said the Board of Governors’ decision to close the non-compliance item concerning Syria, which had remained open since 2011, and permanently remove it from its agenda represents a turning point and opens a new chapter based on transparency, cooperation and mutual trust.