GERMAN-RUSSIAN CO-OPERATION IN THE FIELD OF PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND FACILITIES

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the Russian Federation (RF) have been working closely together since 1992 to improve the security of Russian nuclear materials and facilities. The success of this collaborative work is based on mutually beneficial agreements between corresponding FRG and RF ministries. The main working points of these agreements have stressed: a) a mutual exchange of information and experience, and b) assistance in developing licensing and regulatory procedures, and c) physical upgrades to Russian nuclear facilities. The first two points have been established by holding a conference, seminars, workshops and by on-site instruction. Upgrades of RF nuclear installations, mostly financed by the FRG and partly by the RF, were performed at: the Bochvar Institute in Moscow, the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow and the Mayak reactor plant in Chelyabinsk. This paper will outline the progress made to date and FRG procedure for achieving successful collaboration with its RF counterpart. The paper also suggests that trilateral co-operation involving the USA, the FRG and the RF could minimize resources required, the overlap of efforts and that it could lead to more effective systems.