Russia approves draft agreement with Belarus on early notification of nuclear accidents

MOSCOW, 13 September (BelTA) – The Government of the Russian Federation has approved a draft agreement with Belarus on early notification of a nuclear accident and on sharing information in nuclear and radiation security. The relevant decree signed by Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev was published on the Russian official legal Internet portal on 12 September, BelTA has learnt.

The draft agreement obliges the country on which territory a nuclear accident takes place to immediately report to the other party and provide all information on the accident with a view to minimize radiological consequences. The parties shall also inform each other in case the radiation control systems of one of the sides register any worsening of the radiological environment.

In line with the document, Belarus and Russia agree to provide information on the reliability of their nuclear facilities on an annual basis.

The parties shall maximally limit the number of people with access to the information on radiation security with the label “For Official Use Only”.

The Government of the Russian Federation has instructed the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to conduct talks with Belarus and sign the relevant agreement once the parties agree on its provisions.