The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Lithuania in cooperation with the largest and famous in Klaipėda County Eva Simonaitė Library organized a photo exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
Ambassador of Kazakhstan Viktor Temirbayev noted in his welcoming speech that our country became the first in the history of the world to have closed the world's second largest nuclear test site and to have voluntarily renounced the fourth largest military nuclear arsenal.
The Kazakh diplomat also briefed the guests on the anti-nuclear initiatives of the First President - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev aimed at building a world free of nuclear weapons. It was August 29, the day of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, when at the initiative of Kazakhstan the UN declared the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
The Vice-Mayor Arunas Barbsys emphasized in his speech that Kazakhstan is rightfully considered a leader of the world movement for nuclear disarmament, has gained the confidence of major powers and is recognized as a responsible member of the international community.
The guests of the event got acquainted with the history of the nuclear test site, the peculiarities of the nuclear tests and the current radiation situation on the territory of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. Visitors of the exhibition will have a chance to watch a documentary film containing rare video materials of the history of the test site closure and Kazakhstan's efforts in the international arena of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The opening ceremony was attended by city officials, businessmen, academics, cultural professionals and students, including from Kazakhstan.
The photo exhibition will last for two weeks.