Lithuanian Ambassador Refused To Visit Construction Of Belarusian NPP

Evaldas Ignatavičius stressed that control on nuclear safety should be carried out by experts, not diplomats.

Ambassador of Lithuania to Belarus Evaldas Ignatavičius refused the invitation to visit the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and personally ensure the work performance safety; the diplomat said that experts should estimate the security standards, the agency BNS reported on Tuesday.

Last week, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry delivered a note to Belarusian Ambassador to Lithuania Aliaksandr Karol concerning the collapse of building structures at the construction of the Belarusian NPP. According to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, the Belarusian diplomat was asked to provide detailed information about the incident at the construction of the nuclear power plant in Astravets. Minsk has officially stated that there have been no incidents at the construction of the Belarusian NPP. Also, the Belarusian authorities have invited the Lithuanian ambassador to make sure personally of the Belarusian NPP construction safety.

“I have refused the offer because, in my opinion, it should be done by the experts,” – Ignatavičius said to the agency.

He stressed that the implementation of nuclear safety ought to be carried out by International Atomic Energy IAEA.

Earlier, in June 2011, Lithuania complained to the Committee about the ESPOO Convention (Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context) non-compliance when planning the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.