Belarus fails to dispel Lithuania's doubts over Astravets nuclear plant

Vitalijus Auglys, director of the Pollution Prevention Department at the Lithuanian Environment Ministry, told BNS that Belarus was not responsive to Lithuania's invitations to cooperate on environmental and nuclear safety issues. However, first of all, Lithuania invites Belarus to resume consultations, which broke down two years ago, on a cooperation agreement between the environment ministries of the two neighboring countries.

Lithuania has filed a complaint against Belarus over its alleged failure to properly apply the Espoo convention while implanting the Astravets project. The Espoo Convention Implementation Committee is expected to issue its preliminary findings regarding Lithuania's complaint in September.

"The Espoo implementation committee has formulated additional questions to Belarus about their nuclear power plant project, which is a good sign," Auglys told BNS.

Meanwhile, Belarus' officials say that they are planning to come to Vilnius for consultations with the Environment Minister.

Alexander Andreyev, head of the Department of State Environmental Expert Analysis of Belarus' Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, told BNS last week that if funds were allocated for the trip, the ministry's representatives would come to Vilnius in late June.

"In early February, we sent an invitation to the Lithuanian Environment Minister for consultations on three issues, including an agreement between the two ministries on the environmental impact assessment, on the questions that Lithuania has regarding the Belarusian NPP construction, as well as on the questions that Belarus has regarding the Visaginas NPP construction. We received no answer," Andreyev said.

"In early May, we sent our invitation again, specifying the issues, and received an official invitation to hold consultations in Lithuania on a single issue, which is an agreement between the ministries on the environmental impact assessment, how to conduct consultations. But no issues regarding the atomic power stations," he told BNS.

Consultations on an agreement between the ministries were not completed due to tensions over Belarus' nuclear power plant project that arose between the countries after such meetings in 2010, the Belarusian official said.

Lithuania opposes Minsk's plans to build a nuclear power utility in the district of Astravets, around 50 kilometers from Vilnius. Lithuanian officials have said repeatedly that the Belarusian project raises doubts as to its environmental impact and that it does not comply with international conventions.