Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has written to Mrs Yukika Amano, the wife of IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on his passing.
The text of the letter is appended.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
25 JULY 2019
Letter from Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to Mrs Yukika Amano
23 July 2019
Mrs Yukika Amano
Vienna
Dear Mrs Amano,
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of your beloved husband, Mr Yukiya Amano, Director General of the IAEA. Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss.
Mr Amano had a distinguished career in the Japanese foreign service before being elected as Director General of the IAEA in 2009. Under his able leadership, the IAEA dealt with many challenging issues such as the Fukushima Daiichi accident and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He deftly steered the Agency in fulfilling its mandate of implementing effective and efficient nuclear safeguard measures to prevent the exploitation of nuclear technology for non-peaceful purposes, as well as strengthening international nuclear safety regulations and norms. Mr Amano worked tirelessly to ensure that the IAEA could support developing countries in their attainment of sustainable development through the peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
Singapore’s collaboration with the IAEA was strengthened during Mr Amano’s tenure. We signed the Singapore-IAEA Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) MOU in 2015. I also had the honour of meeting Mr Amano during his visit to Singapore in 2016, where we had a good discussion about his work and vision for the Agency.
Mr Amano leaves behind a legacy of service to his country and the global community. He will be missed.
Yours sincerely,
DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN