MINSK, May 4. /TASS/: Belarus reiterates its commitment to constructive cooperation with the European Union on the project for the construction of a nuclear plant in its territory and deems Lithuania’s claims as ungrounded, Belarusian foreign ministry spokesman, Anatoly Glaz, said on Saturday.
"Once again, we regret to state that the Lithuanian side is making ungrounded and openly false statements concerning the project of the Belarusian Nuclear Plant and measures to ensure its safety," he said commenting on Lithuania’s request that the European Commission draft a plan of action in respect of the Belarusian Nuclear Plant.
Belarus, in his words, has never sought to evade international cooperation on these matters and has been closely cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other relevant bodies. "European Commission is one of our key partners as concerns matters of the highest safety of the would-be plant and regularly offers its advice and technical assistance to the Belarusian regulator," he stressed, adding that his country has repeatedly reiterated its commitment to further cooperation with the European Union in this sphere.
He recalled that Lithuanian specialists took part in the partner inspections of the stress tests at the Belarusian Nuclear Plant and "are fully aware of the fact that the European regulators have exposed no safety problems at the plant."
"The Lithuanian side’s concerns about security of the entire European Union have absolutely different goals - to divert attention from the problems with the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Plant and building nuclear waste depositories near the border with Belarus," he said. "What else can be used to justify dodging the Belarusian side’s initiatives to set up a system of monitoring nuclear facilities located in both countries?"
"The Belarusian side is open for dialogue and constructive cooperation with all international partners to ensure safety and efficient operation of the nuclear plant that is being built," Glaz stressed.
Belarus’ first nuclear plant is being built near the city of Ostrovets, Grodno region, with participation of Russian specialists. The plant’s first energy unit is scheduled to be commissioned in 2019, and the second unit is to be put into operation in 2020. Lithuania objects against the construction of this nuclear plant, having initiated a ban on purchases of electricity from this plant by the Baltic and EU countries.
