Belarus continues efforts to engage Lithuania in expert dialogue on BelNPP

16.06.2017

Belarus continues to take efforts to engage Lithuanian colleagues in an expert dialogue on the NPP construction in Belarus, Belarus First Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Protection Minister Iya Malkina told the media, BelTA has learned.

“Since the sixth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention Belarus has made all possible efforts to show the openness of its actions. We continue taking efforts to engage Lithuanian colleagues in an expert dialogue on the construction of the NPP in Belarus," Iya Malkina said commenting on Lithuania's decision to recognize Belarus NPP as a national security threat to their country.

Iya Malkina said that as an official of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection she is sorry about this decision. “Such an important political decision only confirms that all our attempts to find a compromise at the level of experts are impossible with such decisions of politicians. This is very sad because if our aim were to harm our neighbor, we would probably have acted differently. But in the past three years Belarus has taken all possible and even extra-possible measures to show that we are open,” she stressed.

Iya Malkina recalled that Belarus had repeatedly invited expert missions from Lithuania so that qualified professionals could give due assessment to the steps being taken by the country. “To our regret, Lithuania has not sent a single mission to inspect Belarus NPP. Moreover, even our invitations to diplomats and colleagues from the Ministry of Environment to visit the plant have been met with opposition or simply ignored. Any confrontation can be overcome through a dialogue. Yet, the only thing we have for now is the Minsk monologue and loud statements of Lithuanian politicians,” the first deputy minister said. She stressed that she is ready for a dialogue with the Lithuanian Minister of Environment any time convenient for him.

The first deputy minister also drew attention to the date when Lithuania announced the decision to recognize Belarus NPP as a national security threat which coincided with the high-level Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention in Minsk.

The 7th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention is running in Minsk from 13 to 16 June. Attending the events are nearly 200 representatives from 45 member states of the Espoo Convention, including ministers and deputy ministers, top executives of international organizations, financial institutes, and public associations.

Adopted on 25 February 1991 in Espoo, Finland, the Convention entered into force on 10 September 1997. It has been ratified by 45 states. The document sets out the obligations of the Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of the Parties to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries.

Tags: Belarusian NPP , construction , cooperation , nuclear industry , nuclear power industry , nuclear technologies , Ostrovets site

ANALYTICS

30.08.2023

How Ostrovets started a new chapter thanks to the Belarusian nuclear power plant

21.03.2023

Belarus, Russia to take nuclear industry cooperation beyond power engineering

30.08.2021

Rosatom: Nuclear power plant project spurs development of Ostrovets District

02.07.2021

IAEA's IPPAS mission chief praises Belarus' attitude to nuclear power plant safety

23.06.2021

BelNPP first unit generates 27m kWh of electricity a day