Belarus will do everything to ensure regional nuclear security. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on October 1 at a meeting with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, BELTA correspondent reports.
"You should know that we are committed to security, peace, and we will do everything in our power, everything that depends on us, to ensure regional nuclear security. You can have no doubt about this. We are reasonable people and do not engage in all sorts of adventures," the head of state stated.
The President noted that he raised this issue not without reason: recently, statements have been heard in Ukraine that allegedly "Lukashenko wants to seize the Chernobyl station".
"You should know that we are committed to security, peace, and we will do everything in our power, everything that depends on us, to ensure regional nuclear security. You can have no doubt about this. We are reasonable people and do not engage in all sorts of adventures," the head of state stated.
The President noted that he raised this issue not without reason: recently, statements have been heard in Ukraine that allegedly "Lukashenko wants to seize the Chernobyl station".
"I still cannot understand: what is the basis for this, why does Lukashenko need the Chernobyl station? We have already suffered enough from what happened after the explosion of this nuclear power plant, which – please note – we did not build, we did not maintain, and we did not explode. And the main disaster fell on a quarter of our territory. And we are still fighting the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Therefore, I absolutely assure you that this is complete nonsense, which even surprised me. We could not even imagine in our worst nightmares that we would have to "seize" the Chernobyl station and be responsible for it afterwards. There is no such need from Belarus. And, believe me, from Russia as well – there was not, there is not, and there never will be," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.
The IAEA is an intergovernmental organization within the UN system. It was established in 1957, and its headquarters are located in Vienna. The agency has 180 member states. The IAEA is entrusted with several functions: providing member states with necessary assistance and developing scientific and technical cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy; promoting the maintenance of an appropriate level of nuclear and radiation safety; and monitoring the use of nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes.