The Board of Governors of the IAEA to adopt Resolution on Nuclear Safety in Ukraine and bring back the Astravets NPP issue

On March 4–8, a meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was held in Vienna, Austria, during which the Lithuanian delegation expressed its support for Ukraine’s struggle against the Russian occupation and the threats posed by the presence of Russian forces at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.  

Lithuania supported the resolution submitted by Ukraine on the nuclear safety, security, and safeguards situation in Ukraine and reiterated its call on Russia to abide by international law and to immediately withdraw its troops and other personnel from the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is part of the Ukrainian territory, and to hand over its control to its rightful and competent owners – the Ukrainian authorities.    

“It is exactly two years since Russia’s illegal seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, and exactly two years since this issue was first raised at the IAEA Board and became a separate priority issue. This would not have happened, if Russia had not launched war against its sovereign neighbor. Today, another resolution has been laid on the table, and another call for Russia to take into account previous resolutions and to abide by the international rules, which we strongly support,” said the Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, Lithuania’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna. 

During the Board of Governors’ meeting, Lithuania also raised the issue of the unsafe Astravets Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus, which was built close to the Lithuanian border and fully commissioned at the end of last year. The international community was urged to draw attention to the still unresolved nuclear safety problems and called for the plant to be stopped. “Numerous undisclosed recurring equipment failures and delays in the implementation of safety improvements, as well as the apparent lack of safety culture, transparency, and openness throughout the commissioning and start-up process, are of great concern. We call for the suspension of the operation of the Belarusian NPP until all nuclear safety issues have been fully resolved,” the Lithuanian statement reads. 

Lithuania also presented the progress of the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, underlined Lithuania’s readiness to share its experience, and invited the countries to participate in the Lithuanian event on lessons learned from the decommissioning of the Maišiagala radioactive waste storage facility on the margins of the 68th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference to be held in September of this year. 

The IAEA is an organization within the United Nations system dedicated to accelerating and enlarging the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world. Lithuania joined this organization in 1993. 

Last updated: 12-03-2024

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