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Azerbaijani MP circulates document on Metsamor nuclear plant closure to PACE

Politics Materials 12 April 2011 05:46 (UTC +04:00)
On the first day of spring plenary session of the PACE (the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) a document by the member of Azerbaijani delegation, Rafael Huseynov, entitled "Metsamor - A source of threat to life, present and future of Europe" was published and circulated, Huseynov himself told Trend.
Azerbaijani MP circulates document on Metsamor nuclear plant closure to PACE

France, Strasbourg, April 11 / Trend, A.Maharramli /

On the first day of spring plenary session of the PACE (the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) a document by the member of Azerbaijani delegation, Rafael Huseynov, entitled "Metsamor - A source of threat to life, present and future of Europe" was published and circulated, Huseynov himself told Trend.

Document, which is a motion for a recommendation was signed by some 30 MPs from 20 countries, including UK, France, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Serbia, San Marino and Andorra.

Huseynov said that the document is devoted to the problem of Metsamor nuclear plant that became urgent after the tsunami in Japan and explosion at Fukushima plant. So far, the PACE has prepared four documents for closing Metsamor.

"From the very beginning of our activity in PACE we constantly pay attention to environmental problems that are the worst side of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan. We have repeatedly raised the issue of curbing anti-humanitarian activities of Armenia, which is burying nuclear wastes of Metsamor in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, or pours them into the rivers flowing into Azerbaijan. In fact, the very decision to build Metsamor nuclear power plant in a seismically active zone was illegal, but it had become possible through the efforts of an Armenian, Andranik Petrosian, who was then working at the post of chairman of the USSR Atomic Energy Committee", Huseynov said.

"Metsamor plant, built in 1970, is turned into a threat source not only by its location in a seismically active zone, but also by the fact that first-generation VVER reactors are installed there, which are not used in modern nuclear power plants. After the devastating Spitak earthquake the activity of this plant had been suspended, but in 1995, despite international protests, the work of the station was reactivated, and in addition, the second reactor was launched. Despite the fact that the EU has demanded the immediate closure of the station until 2011 and declared its readiness to assign EUR 100 million to Armenia to cover its energy needs, the country has not agreed to this. Armenia does not hide that it intends to use Metsamor until 2016, and in the longer term, even until 2031. Given the large number of minor earthquakes in the past 10 years in this area, as well as the intensification of seismic processes that is indicated by seismologist researches, in case of a big accident taking place at Metsamor not only Armenia, but also all countries in the Southern Caucasus and the Middle East would be seriously affected," read the document.

The document also notes that PACE should take practical steps in relation to this matter.

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