Opinions & Interviews

Belarus wants nuclear safety to remain unaffected by political mood swings

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VIENNA, 16 September (BelTA) – Nuclear safety should remain free from political mood swings. The statement was made by Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk during the 63rd session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 16 September, BelTA has learned.

The official said: “Nuclear safety should remain indivisible, technically and practically justified and free from any political mood swings. We hope that matters of nuclear safety will be purely uniting. We hope that international cooperation will be built on the basis of respecting the sovereign right of nations to develop their own nuclear energy industry.”

In his words, the IAEA’s technical cooperation program is widely recognized and has a special value for member states, including for Belarus. The technical cooperation projects being implemented allow using the world’s best practices for the sustainable development of the national nuclear energy program, nuclear science and technologies, nuclear medicine.

The Belarusian deputy energy minister thanked the IAEA for a considerable contribution to the sustainable development of Belarusian regions affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe. The Belarusian side also welcomes tighter cooperation between the IAEA and the joint energy and nuclear research institute Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

Belarus wholeheartedly supports the IAEA’s efforts to control the fulfillment of guarantees in line with the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty. “We consider this work to be an important component of the global system of international security and the foundation of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We share the advisability of its further enhancement and effectiveness improvement. At the same time we believe it is important for the guarantee implementation mechanisms to remain understandable, objective, and technically balanced. They should rely on mutual trust and international agreements signed by the parties,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk noted.

Apart from that, Belarus supports the IAEA’s efforts to enhance nuclear security. “The global nature of risks and threats in the area of nuclear security requires adequate actions on the part of the government and the agency, which plays a coordinating role in international cooperation in this field,” the Belarusian deputy energy minister believes.

On behalf of the Belarusian government Mikhail Mikhadyuk praised the work the IAEA had done since the previous session of the General Conference and backed the approval of the annual report of the agency.

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