Lukashenko doesn't see Lithuania's position as obstacle to construction of nuclear power plant in Belarus
MINSK. Feb 3 (Interfax) - The position of Lithuania will not prevent Belarus from building a nuclear power plant, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a meeting with the public and the mass media in Minsk on Friday.
"We will build this station," Lukashenko said.
"I am saying to the Lithuanians: why are you fighting against us? We did not dig our heels in and we are not yelling now that your Ignalina plant that you are closing down is dangerous. God forbid something will happen. It's the worst plant," the president said.
"Let's reach an agreement, it will be our common plant," the president said.
Lukashenko said Belarus is ready to hire specialists from the Ignalina plant to work on the Belarusian nuclear power plant. "Many Lithuanian specialists are moving to Belarus. We need good specialists. And the main thing, let's produce electrical power - you have a shortage, we will sell at good prices. They agree. And then they begin politicizing this issue in the media, in public. It's politics," Lukashenko said.
"The economics will play its role. When cheap electrical power appears, we will reach agreements with them," Lukashenko said.
"I don't know how to talk with them [Lithuania] anymore. Old ambassador, new ambassador... Why are you talking this nonsense? Everyone builds nuclear power plants, why is it that Belarus suddenly cannot have a nuclear power plant?" Lukashenko said.
"It's not some small country building a nuclear power plant, it's Russia building it, an empire, a nuclear country," the president said. "And it will build it. They are interested in it, too, to show a generation of new nuclear power plants, the more safe. They will not disavow it," Lukashenko said.
He said it will be the cheapest nuclear power plant, and even people in Russia are criticizing Belarus for that. "We have reduced the cost of some units by millions of dollars," Lukashenko said.