On 27 April 2017, a delegation from Bolivia headed by Minister of Energy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia Mr. Rafael Alarcon Orihuela visited the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research to discuss prospects of cooperation.

The delegation also included Advisor to Minister of Energy of Bolivia Mr. Hugo Villarroel Senzano, Director of Nuclear Technology of the Ministry of Energy of Bolivia Mr. Ronald Alberto Veizaga Baqueros, Executive Director General of Nuclear Technology of the Ministry of energy of Bolivia Ms. Delia Garcia Higueras, Ms. Catalina Jorgevna Alvarado Medvedeva and the protocol service of the Ministry of Energy of Bolivia.

The delegation was welcomed at the JINR Directorate by JINE Vice-Director M.G. Itkis, JINR Vice-Director R. Lednický, JINR Deputy Director B.Yu. Sharkov, and JINR Chief Engineer B.N. Gikal. The guests were acquainted with the history and scientific infrastructure of JINR, as well as with the programme of the JINR research activities and the major projects of the Institute; issues of international cooperation were also discussed.

The programme of the visit included acquaintance with the Cyclotron Complex of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions and an excursion to the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, where the guests visited the complex of spectrometers of the IBR-2 reactor. The issues of cooperation were discussed during a working dinner with the JINR Directorate. The Bolivian delegation reaffirmed its intention to develop cooperation with JINR in issues of personnel training for development of nuclear physics and nuclear energy, as well as in establishment of conditions for participation of Bolivian scientists in scientific research and applied developments of JINR.

This is the third time officials from Bolivia have visited JINR this year. For instance, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Plurinational State of Bolivia Alex Diaz Mamani visited the Institute in February. The Bolivia’s first acquaintance with JINR took place in March 2014, during the visit of Ambassadors of Latin American countries, including Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bolivia Maria Luisa Ramos Urzagaste.