Ažubalis: People are not important, to put it mildly, for Belarusian authorities

• 28.04.2011, 13:35

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister spoke against construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Audronius Ažubalis, said in an interview to delfi.lt that the main difference between EU NPP projects and the plant to be constructed in Belarus was that the former were “agreed by all parties”, BelaPAN reports.

Vilnius does not stand against Belarus’s plans, but it cannot agree that the NPP will be built close to the densely populated areas and with “gross violations of the Espoo Convention and the Convention on Nuclear Safety. According to Ažubalis, “people are not important, to put it mildly,” for Belarusians.

“The key legitimate questions of Lithuania regarding the environmental impact assessment remain unanswered, or there were incomplete answers. This is a pure imitation supported by a propaganda campaign claiming that all Lithuania’s questions are answered, and Lithuania is satisfied with the answers,” Ažubalis said.

The minister emphasized that experimental nuclear reactors would be used in construction, and the Astravets site was not approved by experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Lithuania’s project, a Visaginas NPP, which is to be built within 10 years, “is the best NPP project in Europe for today,” the Lithuanian Foreign Minister said.