Partnerships
The United States has established a number of cooperative arrangements to pursue technical cooperation on this proposal. On February 16, 2006 the United States, France and Japan signed an "arrangement" to research and develop sodium-cooled fast reactors in support of the GNEP. The United States has established “action plans” for collaboration with Russia, Japan and China.
On September 16, 2007, 16 countries officially became GNEP Partners by signing the GNEP Statement of Principles. These countries were:
- Australia
- Bulgaria
- China
- France
- Ghana
- Hungary
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Slovenia
- Ukraine
- United States
Since then, nine additional countries have joined:
- Armenia
- Canada
- Estonia
- Italy
- Republic of Korea
- Morocco
- Oman
- Senegal
- United Kingdom
Seventeen countries have been invited to join GNEP as partners but have not been willing to sign the Statement of Principles and have participated as observers. These include South Africa, although South African Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica stated that "Exporting uranium only to get it back refined, instead of enriching it in South Africa, would be 'in conflict with our national policy.'" 25 additional countries have been invited to join GNEP at the October 1, 2008 GNEP Ministerial in Paris, France.
Read more about this topic: International Framework For Nuclear Energy Cooperation