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Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   29 March 2024

Armenia expresses concerns to IAEA over “credible” Azerbaijani threat to strike nuclear power plant

Armenia expresses concerns to IAEA over “credible” Azerbaijani threat to strike nuclear power 
plant

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Suren Papikyan has expressed his concerns to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Director Rafael Grossi over the recent Azerbaijani threat to strike the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

Papikyan and Grossi held a meeting during the IAEA 64th General Conference.

The Armenian minister congratulated Grossi on assuming office and wished productive work, attaching importance to the further development of cooperation between Armenia and the IAEA, as well as ensuring the continuity of the IAEA projects in Armenia.

Addressing the directions and prospects of developing atomic energy in Armenia, the minister emphasized that ensuring energy security – as a strategic priority – is stipulated in the country’s security strategy by the Armenian government.

“The operational extension project of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant is under the strict attention of the Armenian government and is implemented under strict adherence to IAEA requirements and regulations,” Papikyan said, underscoring that Armenia attaches exclusive significance to the IAEA.

Papikyan was pleased to note the cooperation with the IAEA in the direction of peaceful use of atomic energy and expressed hope that cooperation with the agency will be enhanced further as part of the works on increasing safety.

At the same time, minister Papikyan expressed concern regarding the Azerbaijani threat made by the country’s defense ministry in July to strike the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, noting that Armenia considers it to be a “credible threat.”

Papikyan and Grossi also talked about the IAEA ZODIAC project -  an initiative towards the early detection and prevention of the next zoonotic outbreaks in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

IAEA’s support in the COVID-19 response through the provision of the PT-PCR device and additional equipment was also highly appreciated.

At the conclusion of the visit, Papikyan invited Grossi to visit Armenia.

Within the framework of the conference, Papikyan also met with ROSATOM Russian state corporation head Alexey Likhachev to discuss different issues, such as the details of modernization of the NPP using budgetary loan from the state budget, the ongoing works as part of the framework agreement with ROSATOM. They also expressed willingness to outline potential directions of cooperation with ROSATOM.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan








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