Aleksandr Lukashenko holds meeting with IAEA Director General

Belarus confirms its determination to develop nuclear technologies in close collaboration with the IAEA, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano on 3 April.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the world was going through a special time in the aftermath of the events in Japan and problems with the nuclear power plant Fukushima, the public response to the catastrophe and the intention of Germany and other countries to shut down nuclear projects. “In this special period we resolutely state that we intend to build a nuclear power plant and we have already started the construction,” the Belarusian head of state said.

“I believe that the IAEA is an organization extremely interested in seeing such projects safely implemented across the globe," the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that Belarus had been hugely affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe yet it is building a nuclear station of its own. “And it is remarkable that the population supports the project, we have managed to achieve that,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced that nuclear power engineering is the safest way to get cheap electricity. “I strongly believe that atomic power is a must and that it is the safest way to acquire cheap energy that the world will need in larger and larger amounts,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko told Yukiya Amano he hopes that after getting familiar with Belarus first hand the IAEA head would arrive at conclusions regarding the manner of working with Belarus.

“If you provide assistance, support and relevant conditions, we are ready to build a second nuclear power plant in Belarus,” the head of state said.

In turn, Yukiya Amano said that Belarus is a very important partner for the International Atomic Energy Agency because the country has its own sad experience after the Chernobyl disaster. He remarked that the Fukushima emergency had drastically undermined people’s trust in nuclear power engineering. Some countries like Germany, for instance, have decided to refrain from using atomic energy in the future but some countries have decided to give it a go. The IAEA Director General believes every country needs to develop power engineering, to improve living standards and therefore the decision on whether nuclear energy should be used is an important one.