Kyrgyzstan will accede to conventions regulating nuclear safety. The Parliamentary Committee on Agricultural Policy, Water Resources, Ecology, and Regional Development of Kyrgyzstan reviewed draft laws on accession to the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency.
These documents were adopted on September 26, 1986 in Vienna.
According to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision Asel Raimkulova, numerous sources of highly active radioactive radiation are used in industrial sectors and the medical field, which pose a danger to the environment and people. Therefore, ensuring protection against radiation threats is of paramount importance.
Accession to the conventions will provide the Kyrgyz Republic with access to up-to-date information on nuclear incidents abroad, technical and expert support, and the opportunity to actively interact with other countries and international organizations.
According to Asel Raimkulova, this will also strengthen the republic’s scientific and technical potential in the field of radiation safety.
Deputies asked how uranium waste is stored and advised complying with environmental standards when licensing mineral extraction and constructing tailing storage facilities.
The representative of the Ministry of Natural Resources cited the impact of accession to the conventions as an example. After the Fukushima accident, the participating countries received timely information. This helped to notify the population in a timely manner, reduce damage to the environment, and avoid panic.
