London (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Ambassador to Austria Dr. Darmansjah Djumala, in the capacity as Indonesian permanent representative accredited at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was inaugurated as the chief of the IAEA Board of Governors for the 2017-2018 term on Monday.

Indonesia has again enjoyed the trust to hold the important post of IAEA after it waited for a quite long time since 1985, the ambassador said in a press statement released on Tuesday.

The IAEA Board of Governors is one of the supreme decision-making body, which is made up of 31 countries representing different regional groupings.

Djumala will be assisted by two deputy chiefs, namely Ambassador Liselotte Kj�rsgaard Plesner from Denmark, and Ambassador Andrej Benedej from Slovenia, in performing his duties as the chief of the IAEA Board of Governors.

At the inauguration ceremony, Djumala expressed gratitude to IAEA member countries for their support and trust given to Indonesia to lead the IAEA Board of Governors.

He also praised his predecessor, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo of South Africa, for his achievement during his term of office as chief of the IAEA Board of Governors.

Djumala expressed the commitment of Indonesia as the chief of the IAEA Board of Governors to strengthen the agencys important role in translating the motto of "Atoms for Peace" in each activity.

IAEA is an independent organization, set up on July 29, 1957, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and thwarting its use for military purposes.

IAEA functions as an inter-governmental forum to promote scientific and technical cooperation for the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear energy worldwide.

The IAEA Secretariat is based in Vienna, Austria. The agency now has 168 member countries.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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