Events

LYASKOVICHI, 26 April (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko adopted a joint statement on the need to continue the work to mitigate the Chernobyl impact, the Belarusian head of state told the media following the talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, BelTA has learned.

Alexander Lukashenko underlined that there is a lot of work on this front, despite the fact that the parties have already done much. It is important to work closely and raise the international awareness to this problem. “We adopted a corresponding statement,” the president said.

For his part, Petro Poroshenko noted that Belarus and Ukraine have established effective cooperation in dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. This will continue, especially in view of the construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus. “Today we had an important discussion on the safety of nuclear facilities, possible cooperation in exploitation, construction, and treatment of nuclear waste. We agreed to continue this important discussion on a mutually beneficial basis,” he noted.

The meeting of the heads of state was held on the sad day for Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples - another anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The impact of the catastrophe is still felt by residents of both countries.

The presidents visited the nuclear power plant, got acquainted with the construction of new shelters and storage of nuclear fuel. Alexander Lukashenko and Petro Poroshenko honored the memory of the people who died during the clean-up efforts in the aftermath of the accident.