Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 2 / Trend A.Tagiyeva /
A campaign to collect signatures for a petition demanding the closure of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in Armenia started in the Turkish city of Igdir The plant has been operating for more than 40 years and is a threat to security in the region, Polis Haber reported.
The petition is being organised by the Turkish-Azerbaijani community (TAD). It will then be sent to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for Washington to reconsider its decision on issuing a permit for the continuation of the Armenian NPP's operation for another 10 years.
Earlier, Turkish media reported that the Armenian government decided to extend the work of Metsamor till 2023.
Metsamor NPP was built in 1970. After the devastating earthquake in Spitak in 1988 it was closed, but in 1995 despite international protests, the activities of the station were resumed and a second reactor launched.
Given the large number of minor earthquakes in the past 10 years in this area, as well as the intensification of seismic processes as indicated by research of seismologists, in the event of a serious accident at the Metsamor NPP not only Armenia, but also all the countries of South Caucasus and the Middle East will suffer enormously.