MINSK, April 25. /TASS/. Belarus’ expertise and skills accumulated while the aftermaths of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster were eliminated can be used all over the world, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on the eve of the 29th anniversary of the explosion at the Ukrainian nuclear power station.
"Belarus has accumulated a unique experience in control over radiation and in environmental monitoring, in implementation of safety precautions in agriculture and forestry, in providing social and medical assistance to the affected regions and their real economic revival," the ministry said underlining that "the expertise can be used for other emergencies all over the world."
Minsk says that international cooperation on Chernobyl is still of crucial importance for the country.
"In May 2015, an expert meeting is due to take place in Minsk tackling international cooperation on the Chernobyl problem and embracing representatives from affected countries and international organisations. The meeting is expected to kick off a new global strategy on Chernobyl beyond 2016," the Belarussian Foreign Ministry said.
The disaster at Japan’s Fukushima-1 nuclear power station once again proved that states should be guaranteed consistent development after having been affected by human-made disasters, the ministry said.
Belarus regards as key priorities "the ongoing development of affected areas and their social and economic revival in complex."
After the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, radionuclides contaminated 46,500 square kilometres of the Belarussian territory, or about 23% of the country. Over one million people still reside in those areas.