Opinions & Interviews

BRASLAV DISTRICT, 4 August (BelTA) - Belarus and Lithuania need to think together how to exploit the Belarusian NPP, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said when talking to journalists during the working trip to Vitebsk Oblast, BelTA has learned.

“I have recently met with the outgoing Ambassador of Lithuania and told him the following: ‘Let's stop this bickering, let's stop attacking each other: when you attack us and we fight back in the matters of the construction of the nuclear power plant. Let's work together. Considering the electricity deficit in Lithuania, let’s work together to make the electricity export possible at normal, acceptable prices. We are interested in the people who were left without work after the closure of Ignalina nuclear power plant. We will bring these people to work with us. They are not strangers to us. There are a lot of problems. Let us think together how to operate the plant rather than stand head-on and point fingers at each other,’” Alexander Lukashenko noted.

According to the President, speculations around the construction of the NPP in Belarus are nothing more but competition, politicization (especially in the run-up to the elections) and empty talk. “Recently there has been a fire at Ignalina. Many do not even know about it. Why? We do not make fuss about it. If they need help, we will help. But they are coping well with this incident which is much worse than ours. We are not shouting about it,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Alexander Lukashenko once again drew attention to the fact that Belarus and Lithuania should work to make BelNPP a joint endeavor so that both states could benefit from it. “We are prepared for this, and I have sent such proposals to the leadership of Lithuania,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.

The head of state also noted that recently Lithuania mass media have started publishing sensible reasoning about the construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus. The experts say that Belarus is interested in the safety of the nuclear power plant like no one else. Experts urge the countries to cooperate in this regard. “If you have concerns, then find a politician or a group of professionals in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and say that they want to receive information for the entire Lithuania, Latvia or Poland. We will work with them, we have no secrets. It would be good if someone from the outside kept a watchful eye on the construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus. We are very interested in this,” Alexander Lukashenko assured.