SEOUL, March 27 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site posed no threat any more.
“All the threats are closed today. The site exists in quite a different kind. Kazakhstan can calmly look at the future and develop the territory,” the Russian president told reporters.
Together with Kazakh and U.S. Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Barack Obama, Medvedev made a statement on cooperation to rehabilitate the former nuclear test area.
International summits like the current one in Seoul on nuclear security are held also to show specific examples of cooperation, Medvedev noted. Such is Russian-U.S.-Kazakh cooperation to rehabilitate the territory of the former Semipalatinsk test site. "I believe it is a good example of cooperation and a good example for other countries to deal with nuclear security issues," he said.
The three countries began the joint work in 2004, realizing what threat the test site represented, he noted.
Medvedev thanked the Kazakh president for the active position and the persistence in the matter.
Russia and the United States, which have particular responsibility for nuclear security, were persistent and found resources and forces to deal with the problem and solve it, the Russian leader stressed.
Nazarbayev thanked the Russian and U.S. presidents for the assistance in the elimination of the consequences of the Semipalatinsk use and expressed the hope for further cooperation.
All know that the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was the world's largest. Five hundred nuclear explosions were set off there, including over 70 in the atmosphere, he told reporters.
Nazarbayev recalled the test site was closed by his first decree when he became president 20 years ago.
Together with Russia and the United States, Kazakhstan since 2004 has been eliminating the consequences of the site use, and 3,000 sq km of the area are already rehabilitated, but more need rehabilitating, the Kazakh leader noted, adding that 1.5 million people were affected by radiation in Semipalatinsk.
Nazarbayev expressed great gratitude to Russia and the United States and the hope for further cooperation.
One more example of such work was the liquidation of silo launchers for missiles with 1,000 warheads.