Gaidashov: Belarusian Antarctic station is among the best ones on continent
The Belarusian Antarctic station is one of the best in Antarctica built in recent decades – as stated by the Deputy Head of the Republican Centre for Polar Research, head of the Belarusian Antarctic expeditions Aleksei Gaidashov, at today’s meeting of the President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko with scientists and participants of the Belarusian Antarctic expeditions
Following a decision of the President, Belarus joined the Antarctic Treaty in 2006 and, since then, has been actively involved in research in this region. To date, 57 countries have joined the treaty, of which 29 have consultative status (the right to vote in decision-making). Since 2006, sixteen Belarusian Antarctic expeditions have been conducted, in which 51 scientists and specialists of the country took part.
Mr. Gaidashov addressed Aleksandr Lukashenko, emphasising that the decision of the Head of State in 2006 was actually the beginning of a new epoch, “It was you who gave the green light to that process in 2006 – just saying ‘agree’. This new direction is of the same importance as space exploration and nuclear energy for future generations. This decision of yours is worth a lot: it predetermined our future in Antarctica.”
Until 2014, Belarus’ freight forwarders were based on a rather dilapidated station in difficult conditions but, after the programme was transferred under the supervision of the Academy of Sciences in 2011, everything changed fundamentally: in 2015, the first object of the Belarusian Antarctic station was launched. At the moment it has 19 objects, being one of the best ones built in recent decades in Antarctica.
Mr. Gaidashov added that the Belarusian station is not just a small village or a branch of the National Academy of Sciences. “It is the country's foothold on a huge geographical space: the sixth continent. We are intensively developing it. The creation of a national infrastructure and the expansion of the geography of research are the basis for strengthening the presence of Belarus in this region and in the international arena,” he explained.
The results of Belarus’ efforts are highly appreciated by the international scientific community. In 2020, the station was visited by Australian inspectors who recognised the Belarusian station in their final document as high-tech, environmentally safe and one of the best in Antarctica built in recent decades.
“The capabilities of our station at the present stage allow us to develop many scientific areas, and this is an impetus for the development of science and instrumentation, including domestic ones. We have not been dependent on imports since 2006: we had everything of our own, including technological developments of the station, devices, clothing and food. The events of the recent five years have shown that we were right," Mr. Gaidashov stressed.
