India will host a preparatory meeting of officials from 49 countries next week to set the agenda for the second Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Seoul in March this year.

An External Affairs Ministry release said in New Delhi that a meeting of the officials for the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will be held in New Delhi on 16 and 17th of this month.

The meeting is expected to discuss action-oriented measures for preventing nuclear terrorism.

The measures include minimising highly enriched uranium and plutonium, strengthening the protection of nuclear facilities and preventing illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai will open the meeting. The discussions are expected to focus on themes such as the synergy between nuclear security and safety and the management of radiological materials.