TOKYO - Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn has stressed the need to set up a working group that would deal with the development of nuclear energy and the strengthening of security in this sphere.
"This group could create a legal framework that would help governments competently solve all of the economic and humanitarian aspects of overcoming the consequences of nuclear accidents," he said at a meeting with Speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives Takahiro Yokomichi on Thursday.
Lytvyn said that such a group could deal with the development of nuclear energy and the strengthening of security in this sphere.
In addition, Lytvyn said that Ukraine attached special importance to the development of relations with Japan. He said that evidence of this was the signing by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan of a concrete statement on Ukrainian-Japanese partnership during Yanukovych’s visit to Japan in January 2011. The speaker also stressed the need to fill this statement with "practical content."
In addition, Lytvyn thanked Japan for its continued support for Ukraine on the path of democratic and socio-economic development, as well as support for Ukraine in eliminating the consequences of the disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
The Ukrainian speaker expressed his sympathy with those injured and killed in an earthquake, tsunamis and an accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in eastern Japan.
Lytvyn said that the sides were considering the possibility of signing this year an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in improving the post-disaster response to emergency situations at nuclear power plants. He recalled that the first round of talks on the text of this document had been held in Kyiv.
During the meeting, the speaker also stressed the need to sign an agreement on the liberalization, promotion and protection of investment. Lytvyn said that Ukraine also wanted to sign a memorandum on technology exchange and cooperation in agriculture between the relevant agencies.
Takahiro Yokomichi, in turn, thanked the Ukrainian side for supporting Japan.
"I want to thank you for everything you did for our delegation," he said.
He said that after the accident at Fukushima-1, he had a feeling that if Japan studied the experience and lessons of the Chornobyl accident, it would be able to respond more quickly to the accident on its territory. Now, he said, Japan, apart from overcoming the consequences of the accident at the nuclear power plant, should deal with the resettlement of the public and the rehabilitation of the affected regions.
"I believe that the exchange of experience in these matters is of great importance," he said.
