VP leaves for US for Nuclear Security Summit

Jakarta. One day after his arrival from an official visit to China, Vice President Jusuf Kalla is leaving for the United States from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta using commercial aircraft Garuda GA-88 to attend Nuclear Security Summit.

Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) is an initiative launched for the first time on 12-13 April 2010 in Washington, D.C. and aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe.

NSS  is in line with Indonesia’s commitment to the three pillars of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) involving nuclear weapons disarmament, non-proliferation, and the right to peacefully use nuclear technology. Indonesia ascertains that the best way to stop nuclear proliferation and to ensure nuclear and radioactive materials not be used for terror actions is to realize a world free of any nuclear weapon.

NSS  now has 52 states, including Indonesia, and 4 internasional organizations as members. The summit is held every two year, while the senior official meeting (Sherpa) is held three times a year to discuss varied issues on nuclear security. Indonesia has been participating in the summit since its launching in 2010.

The 2016 NSS will be the fourth summit and the last meeting of heads of states. This summit is hoped put a strong foundation for a global nuclear security realized in the UN-IAEA-Interpol Action Plans , Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism(GICNT), and  Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP).

Vice President Jusuf Kalla will lead Indonesian delegates in the 2016 NSS consisting of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten), and the Secretariat of the vice President.

During the visit to the United States, the Vice President will also attend a state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama, hold series of bilateral meetings with some heads of states, hold meetings with World Bank and IMF leaders, and Indonesian community in the U.S. Before arrival in the U.S., Mr Kalla and family spent Easter holidays in London, U.K.