MINSK, 16 December (BelTA) – Belarusian ecologists are ready to monitor the environment around the Belarusian nuclear power plant together with Lithuanian colleagues, BelTA learned from Yuri Solovyov, Chairman of the Board of the Belarusian public association Ecological Initiative, on 16 December.
Yuri Solovyov said: “I'd like to mention that we have repeatedly invited Lithuanian colleagues to carry out some monitoring missions together as the best way to guarantee trust.”
Belarusian and Lithuanian ecologists already have the relevant experience. As an example Yuri Solovyov mentioned a joint monitoring operation in Grodno Oblast. “The experience was great. Specialists of our analytical monitoring and control service of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry together with the same kind of agency from Lithuania collected samples after the liquidation of disposal sites where hazardous substances had been stored. The results were practically identical,” noted the official. Yuri Solovyov went on saying that nobody had doubted the results would be identical because Lithuania used virtually the same equipment and the specialists had similar qualifications.
On the whole, the Belarusian radiation and environmental monitoring system is considered to be one of the world's best. After the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant Japanese colleagues contacted Belarusian colleagues to request expert support for the sake of organizing radiation monitoring, reminded the Chairman of the Board of the Belarusian public association Ecological Initiative.
