Belarus and Russia are planning to sign nuclear-safety agreement

Resolution No. 1249 adopted on December 29, 2012 approved the agreement between two countries, and allows its signing, authorizing Energy Minister of Belarus Aliaksandr Aziarec to hold negotiations on behalf of Belarus. The main purpose of the agreement is cooperation for developing the nuclear safety infrastructure of Belarus in view of the construction of the country’s first nuclear station using a Russian design, the press service of the Belarusian government reports.

The agreement also aims to achieve a stable and high level of nuclear safety, to create and maintain effective means of protection against potential radiation hazards at Belarusian nuclear power engineering installations, explained Lilia Dulinec, the Head of the International Cooperation Office of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusan Energy Ministry. It provides for various avenues of cooperation, including the establishment of a nuclear safety infrastructure, systems to regulate safety, the development and improvement of the existing legal base taking into account IAEA norms, the development of a system of crisis response centers of Belarus, the training of nuclear safety specialists.

The experience of enabling emergency preparedness and emergency response at nuclear power plants in Russia is claimed to be used to plan and create the relevant infrastructure in Belarus.