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Lithuania misinforms global community on construction of Belarus NPP – Minsk

Vilnius misinforms the global community on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant

MINSK, March 23 (Itar-Tass) —— Vilnius misinforms the global community on the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, thus bending the truth again, the Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection said in a statement on Friday, replying to a press release published by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry on the results of the investigation of Lithuania’s compliant in the UN Committee in Geneva.

On March 20-21, the UN Committee considered the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry’s compliant on Belarus’ disregard of the Convention of the UN European Economic Commission on the impact on the environment in the trans-border context (Expo Convention).

Upon the results of the investigation, Lithuania stated that Belarus could not give detailed answers to the Committee members. Meanwhile, the Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources told Itar-Tass that Minsk gave full replies and submitted official documents, confirming that Belarus had observed all procedures of the Convention.

Besides, the Belarusian delegation voiced facts, which confirmed that Lithuania deliberately backs out of a dialog over the issue, the ministry said. The Lithuanian delegation could not explain why they did not reply to Belarus’ proposals on the conclusion of bilateral agreements on the Convention, on the joint response to nuclear accidents, on exchange of information and on cooperation in the spheres of nuclear safety and protection, as well as on the organisation of bilateral consultations on the construction of the Belarusian and Visaginas nuclear power plants.

In addition, the Belarusian delegation drew attention of the Committee to the fact that Lithuania’s constructive approach to the problem could make it possible to settle all issues at the bilateral level, as it was during the discussion of the Belarus NPP project with Austria, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine, the ministry said.

Over a long period, Lithuania resolutely protests against the construction of NPP in Belarus, which will be located not far from the Belarusian-Lithuania border line. Vilnius is also against the project of a nuclear power plant construction in the Kaliningrad region.

Some experts believe that those protests are mainly linked not with Lithuania’s concern over the environmental security, but with political and economic reasons. For instance, by the attempts to neutralise possible competitors of its future Visaginas NPP.

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