Belarus thanked for cooperation with IAEA in ensuring BelNPP safety

The IAEA representative congratulated Belarusians on a big event for the country. "I would like to take this opportunity and thank Belarus, the country's leadership for their close and active cooperation with the IAEA, for inviting our numerous missions and international inspections - voluntary inspections. Belarus has hosted international missions since the project was launched, like no other newcomer-country, perhaps. There were three nuclear power infrastructure missions. There was a integrated regulatory review service mission, an emergency preparedness and response framework mission, a pre-operational safety review, a site and external events design mission. In 2021, we already have invitations to conduct two international expert missions - site and external events safety and operational safety (the main mission)," Mikhail Chudakov said.

However, he stressed, the IAEA is by no means a substitute for the national nuclear regulator and the operating organization. The opinion of IAEA experts is only a recommendation. “We are grateful that Belarus perceives all the recommendations of international experts as binding,” Mikhail Chudakov noted.