MINSK, 15 March (BelTA) – Belarus gave exhaustive answers to Lithuania's complaints regarding the construction of the NPP in Belarus during the 35th session of the Implementation Committee of the Espoo Convention in Geneva, Belarus' Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk told BelTA in a telephone conversation.
“Lithuania's representatives repeated the same claims they made in the press recently. The main issue is the selection of the site, which allegedly is too close to the border with Lithuania. “We gave them exhaustive answers as to why we chose this site and that it fully complies with all safety requirements. The Belarusian delegation clearly expressed its position on each of Lithuania's claims. We have always strictly complied with the Espoo Convention,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.
Regarding the questions about the deadline and construction phases the Deputy Minister stated that each phase is conducted strictly in accordance with the approved schedule.
Following the discussion Mikhail Mikhadyuk called on the Lithuanian side to abandon the baseless allegations and to continue the dialogue at the level of experts. Belarus is ready to give the Lithuanian experts the opportunity to get familiar with the progress in the construction of the nuclear power plant in Ostrovets. “The NPP construction project is transparent and open, and the international community makes sure of this,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk said.
The 35th session of the Implementation Committee of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) is running in Geneva, Switzerland on 15-17 March. The Implementation Committee invited Belarus and Lithuania to attend the meeting on the first day.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) expects the signatories to notify and consult each other about all the major projects that can have a considerable negative transboundary impact on the environment. Belarus became a party to the Convention on 8 February 2006.
In June 2011 Lithuania submitted a complaint to the Espoo Convention Implementation Committee about Belarus' failure to observe the Convention while planning the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. After looking into the matter the Committee and later on the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention gave recommendations both to Belarus and Lithuania on ways to ensure the fulfillment of the Convention with regard to the Belarusian nuclear power plant project. The recommendations also encouraged the two countries to work together.
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