Lukashenko looks to further cooperation with Rosatom

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko was briefed on the readiness of the Belarusian nuclear power plant on 3 November, BelTA has learned. Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the BelNPP Acceptance Commission Piotr Parkhomchik reported that all members of the commission had signed the act of acceptance of the second unit for commercial operation. The head of state mentioned prospects for further cooperation with Rosatom.

“I don't want you to leave Belarus,” he said to Director General of Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev. “We don't want to leave either,” he replied. Alexey Likhachev praised the effective work at the NPP site together with Belarusian specialists.

He invited Belarus to join Rosatom's foreign construction projects: “We feel comfortable working together. We have common culture, and there is no need for interpreters in every sense of the word. We invite you to join our foreign construction projects.” He added that Belarusian companies and specialists are involved in the construction of a large nuclear power plant in Egypt, and there are agreements on their possible participation in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Hungary.

“As we expand our presence in the global market, we will be going forward hand in hand,” he assured the Belarusian side. According to him, Russian specialists approached the NPP project in Belarus with all seriousness and will treat it the same way at the operation stage, including warranty service, provision of spare parts, repair works, personnel training and so on. “In no way claiming management and technological sovereignty, we will provide everything that will be necessary in the most convenient way,” Alexey Likhachev said.