Belarus determined to establish safe, efficient, eco-friendly nuclear industry

MINSK, 4 March (BelTA) – Belarus is fully determined to establish a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly nuclear industry, Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas said as he met with Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, on 4 March, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Rumas welcomed the high level of fruitful cooperation between Belarus and the IAEA. Belarus has been cooperating with the agency since 2007, the year when the country decided to launch a national nuclear energy program and create the necessary infrastructure. “Belarus is fully determined to establish a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly industry that will foster the country's growth,” the premier noted.

“Safety is an absolute priority of the Belarusian nuclear power plant project. All the procedures related to the commissioning of the power plant are carefully and consistently observed. Belarus is running this project in a very open way, in collaboration not only with the Russian Federation, but also with many international partners,” Sergei Rumas said.

“Strict compliance with all international regulations, IAEA standards and recommendations is of paramount importance for us. We view the findings of the IAEA review missions as important guidelines,” the premier said.

Belarus-IAEA cooperation has increased in scale and scope. “We highly value the current level of cooperation and we hope for the further support from the agency. Belarus actively utilizes the entire spectrum of the instruments and services offered by the IAEA and will keep doing it in the future,” the head of government said.

He assured that Belarus will not only take into account the best practices of the IAEA and its member states, but will also rely on them in its work.