Lithuania has submitted a note of protest to Belarus, demanding the immediate suspension of the operation of the Astravyets nuclear power plant (NPP) until all safety problems identified by international missions are resolved.
/nginx/o/2023/03/31/15229929t1h859b.jpg?w=1250&ssl=1 "Abroad Today, 17:14, Lithuania demands Belarus to stop the Astravyets NPP 17")
Lithuania has submitted a note of protest to Belarus, demanding the immediate suspension of the operation of the Astravyets nuclear power plant (NPP) until all safety problems identified by international missions are resolved.
This is how Lithuania reacted to the news that it is planned to connect the second power unit of Astraviecas NPP to the network, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania announced on Friday.
“Belarus is preparing to start using the second defective power unit of the nuclear power plant, hiding incidents and defects from the public, while the Russian president threatens to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus. This demonstrates the irresponsible attitude of dictatorships towards nuclear energy and creates a nuclear threat to the entire region,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Belarus still needs to solve security problems related to the NPP project, such as the impact on the environment and citizens of Lithuania, ensure a culture of security and implement international recommendations, the statement said.
It has already been reported that the first power unit of the Astraviec NPP has been in use since 2020.
The builder of the NPP is the Russian company “Rosatom”, and the construction was financed by means of a loan granted by Moscow.
Lithuania believes that Belarus did not comply with safety requirements when building the power plant, which is located approximately 30 kilometers from the Lithuanian border and 50 kilometers from Vilnius
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