Britain and Norway pledge over €5 mln in aid to Chornobyl zone

Norway and Great Britain have announced aid to the Chornobyl zone in the amount of more than 5 million euros.

The representatives of the countries stated this at the meeting of the Assembly of Contributors to the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl, which was attended by the Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutsky.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development organized the event.

"Ukraine thanks the representatives of each country that is a contributor to the International Fund for Chernobyl, and separately Norway and Great Britain for supporting the development of the Exclusion Zone and effectively supporting our state in the fight against the aggressor state," Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi said.

Ukraine agreed to continue cooperation to accelerate the signing of the Framework Agreement between Ukraine and the EBRD to finance measures to restore safe conditions in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and radioactive waste management facilities in Ukraine and support the long-term safe operation of such facilities.

Representatives of the European Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Belgium, Norway, Germany, the United States of America, France, and other countries took part in the meeting of the Assembly.

The Ukrainian delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine's parliament – ed.] Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Oleh Bondarenko, People's Deputy of Ukraine Serhiy Mahera, representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Inspection of Nuclear Regulation and the State Agency of Ukraine for Management exclusion zone.

For reference:

The accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant occurred on the night of April 26, 1986, during scheduled tests at the 4th power unit.

37 years ago, this nuclear power plant became a place of one of the greatest man-made disasters in the history of humanity, later called the tragedy of the 20th century

Explosion with force equivalent to 500 nuke bombs released strong radiation that first affected Ukraine's territory within a radius of 30 kilometers from the scene and then quickly spread to some territories of Belarus and reaching Europe.