President Yushchenko presided over the meeting on Chernobyl

Victor Yushchenko and his wife took part in a ceremony to open an international conference “Twenty Years After Chornobyl Accident. Future Outlook.”

In his speech, the Head of State said “the Chornobyl accident has affected many countries and the international community must thereby unite tocope with its devastating aftereffects.”

“The global scale of the Chornobyl tragedy neglects national borders and political arguments and forces us to address many problems we face now and will definitely face in the future,” he said, adding that Ukraine appreciated the support of its international partners. (He particularly thanked the UNESCO Chornobyl Program, which helped open three rehabilitation centers for children.)

Yushchenko said he was convinced that participants of today’s conference “will frankly and substantially exchange opinions and thoughts in order to outline priorities of the post-Chornobyl rehabilitation and development.” He reiterated that Ukraine had lost USD 15 bln over the past twenty years to cope with the aftermath of the disaster, the president press office informed.

The President also said we should forget the Chornobyl stereotypes and look at the zone anew. He suggested that we carry out scientific research in this area: “It is time to create a multifunctional scientific institute to study all the problems of Chornobyl. It is also vital to renew the polluted territories.”

Victor Yushchenko then said it was necessaryto conduct an international donor conference in Ukraine to outline new modes of cooperation. He urged the EU, UNO, and UNESCO to support this initiative and become co-founders of the forum.

“It is now important to develop Chornobylrather than protect it,” he opined.

The Chief of State said the world must learn its lesson from the Chornobyl tragedy to prevent such disasters: “Today, we put human and environmental safety first. These principles are really important to me.”