Baku calls for suspension of Metsamor NPP
By Aisha Jabbarova
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to mobilize their efforts in advocating for the suspension of Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant due to its danger to the region.
In a statement issued on the Anniversary and the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day on April 26, the ministry stressed that Mestamor NPP bears resemblance to Chernobyl NPP that caused great humanitarian crisis due to the latter’s explosion 35 years ago.
The Ministry reminded that Metsamor was built (1976-1980) using a similar outdated technology as Chernobyl NPP and is located in an active seismic zone.
"The fateful combination of outdated technology and location place Metsamor among the most dangerous nuclear plants in the world," the ministry said.
The ministry stressed that despite continuous warnings by various international organizations calling the facility “a danger to the entire region,” Armenia still continues to exploit Metsamor NPP beyond its operational life span.
It reminded the European Union’s 2020 statement that Metsamor plant “cannot be upgraded to fully meet internationally accepted nuclear safety standards, and therefore requires an early closure and safe decommissioning”.
Furthermore, the ministry highlighted repeated incidents of smuggling of nuclear materials such as highly enriched uranium related to Metsamor, noting that this raises additional concerns regarding proper physical protection of the plant and its nuclear materials.