You're reading: Ukrainian President hopes sum to realize Chornobyl projects to be collected at Chornobyl conference

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has expressed hope that the required sum to finance Chornobyl projects will be collected during a conference of donor countries to be held as a part of the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl tragedy.

"A conference of donors will be held during a conference devoted to the tragic date – the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, where the contributions of the countries-donors and other states that will join the donors at the conference will be collected," the president said in Yenakiyeve (Donetsk region) on Saturday.

"We believe that we’ll manage to collect the whole sum required for the completion of the Shelter facility and for measures that will ensure safety of the works carried out at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP)," he said.

In addition, Yanukovych said that the international summit on the safe and innovative use of nuclear energy in Kyiv will give answers to the question how to use atom for peace, taking into account today’s disasters.

The president also said that it is very important to observe safety measures at Ukrainian NPPs.

On Apr. 20-22, an international conference entitled "25 Years of the Chornobyl Disaster. The Security of the Future" is to be held in Kyiv.

The European Commission is planning to make a contribution of over EUR 100 million during the Chornobyl donor conference. President Jose Manuel Barroso will represent the European Commission at the conference.

"First of all, at the events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, the European Commission president will make a contribution by the European Commission in order to ensure completion of work [at the shelter facility] 2015. The amount will be more than EUR 100 million," European Commission spokesman Michael Karnitschnig told Ukrainian journalists in Brussels.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, the figure is EUR 110 million.

Karnitschnig recalled that the EU was one of "the most important [Chornobyl] donors," which has already allocated EUR 417 million in contributions to Chornobyl-related projects.

Ukraine is planning to raise EUR 740 million at an international conference in Kyiv on Apr. 19 to attract funds for Chornobyl projects, such as completing the shelter facility and a new interim spent fuel storage facility (ISF-2) at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

The total cost of construction work amounted to EUR 990 million and that the completion of the facilities was scheduled for 2015.