Baltic States – CIS, Energy, Latvia, Nuclear power plant, Ukraine

Volodymyr Lytvyn bestowes Valdis Zatlers the Ukrainian Order of Liberty. Riga, 26.06.2012. Photo: reformupartija.lv

The high Ukrainian order was bestowed on the former Latvian president for his role in helping to clean up and liquidate the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, LETA was informed by Reform Party spokeswoman Daiga Holma.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed bilateral relations, as well as international affairs.

This year is the 26th anniversary since the world's largest nuclear accident in the former Soviet city of Chernobyl, located in Ukraine. Over 6,000 persons from Latvia were sent in to deal with the fallout of the accident, with many of them suffering long-term health problems due to radiation poisoning.

Zatlers, who is also a physician, was one of hundreds of thousands of rescue workers sent to Chernobyl in the aftermath of the April 26, 1986 meltdown at the plant.