Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.9
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
It is too early to talk about canceling the construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.
He said Ankara hopes that after overcoming the crisis in bilateral relations, Moscow will again bring this issue into focus, TRT Haber TV channel reported Dec.9.
"Even if Russia doesn't resume the talks on constructing the Akkuyu plant, there are countries which can build it," said Kurtulmus without giving out any details.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated after Turkish Air Force jets shot down the Russian SU-24 bomber when it entered Turkish airspace Nov. 24.
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a government decree on economic measures against Turkey. However such large projects as Turkish Stream and Akkuyu nuclear power plant are not reflected in the list of these measures.
The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on cooperation in the fields of construction and operation of the country's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu near the city of Mersin in southern Turkey was signed in 2010.
The project's cost nears $20 billion. The Akkuyu plant is projected to generate about 35 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
Edited by SI
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