Kiev's decision to terminate nuclear alert agreement threatens citizens' safety - MFA
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry believes that Kiev is putting its own citizens at risk by abandoning a faster and more predictable mechanism for sharing nuclear safety data.
Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Ruslan Varankov said that the decision of Kiev to terminate the bilateral agreement with Minsk on prompt notification of a nuclear accident and cooperation in the field of radiation safety jeopardizes the safety of Ukrainian citizens. This was reported in the press service of the department.
According to the diplomat, the Belarusian side has not received official notification through diplomatic channels. According to the terms of the document, it will terminate only six months after receiving such notice. 2 source The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution on the termination of the Treaty of October 16, 2001.
Varankov noted that this step does not mean a complete cessation of cooperation. The two countries remain parties to the 1986 Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and maintain cooperative mechanisms through the IAEA. However, a bilateral format is a faster, more specific and predictable way of communication. Its cancellation will deprive the parties of early warning, direct round-the-clock communication channel and annual exchange of data on the safety of nuclear facilities.
Ukraine, like Belarus, suffered from the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, and “better than others should understand the price of late information.” According to him, Kiev sacrifices the protection of its citizens to the political situation.
Radiation risk knows no national boundaries. When it comes to timely notification, monitoring data, the forecast of the spread of emissions, the count is on hours, and sometimes minutes, said Ruslan Varankov, adding that any gap in such interaction creates a direct threat to people’s lives.
Photo: BELTA
