MP: Lithuanian parliament's statement on BelNPP defies common sense

MINSK, 25 September (BelTA) – The Lithuanian parliament's statement on safety of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP) goes beyond the bounds of common sense, Chairman of the Standing Committee on International Affairs of the House of Representatives Andrei Savinykh told the media on 25 September, BelTA has learned.

“The NPP construction project was implemented in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In addition, stress tests, designed for EU members, were carried out under the supervision of the EU. All the experts who participated in numerous inspections of the plant have repeatedly confirmed its safety,” Andrei Savinykh said.

He stressed that the BelNPP units are 3+ generation nuclear units, the technology which uses the most advanced achievements. “They fully comply with the enhanced international safety standards and recommendations of the IAEA. Along with the traditionally used safety systems, a whole complex of additional ones is used here. This gives us grounds to assert that the Belarusian NPP will be the most reliable and safe plant in the world,” the chairman of the Standing Committee on International Affairs said. The launch of the BelNPP will make it possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 million tonnes per year. “This is a significant contribution of our country to the fight against global climate change,” added Andrei Savinykh.

“In this regard, the statement the Seimas of Lithuania made on 22 September contradicts common sense. The indirect rejection of objective reality becomes a serious barrier for the development of the Lithuanian political culture. We can clearly see how it devalues the weight of opinions of the Lithuanian parliament because of disregard of the foundations of civilized interstate relations,” the Belarusian MP stated.