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Yerevan asks for money from Washington

19 July 2019 12:33 (UTC+04:00)
Yerevan asks for money from Washington

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The postrevolutionary Armenian authorities seems to continue the policy of the previous ones. Current Armenian government told about ideas which are impossible to implement.

Having not yet resolved the problems with the emergency Metsamor nuclear power plant (NPP), which is a time bomb for the whole region, Armenia is making plans to build a new one.

During a visit to the U.S., Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said that the Armenian government is negotiating on participation of Russia in the NPP construction in Armenia.

He noted that Armenia is not going to give up nuclear energy and is considering the possibility of building a new NPP after the closure of the Metsamor NPP.

The former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan spoke about the new NPP in his message to the Armenian National Assembly. Speaking from the tribune on October 2008, he promised that in the coming months, the construction of a new NPP will begin. However, between promising and performing a man may marry his daughter.

In 2010, an agreement was signed between Yerevan and Moscow on the construction of a new atomic unit in Armenia. A joint Russian-Armenian company was even created for the construction of the Metsamor Inter RAO NPP, which was to provide at least 40 percent of the plant’s cost.

However, already in 2013, no funds were provided in Armenia's draft state budget for a new NPP. Money was not provided not only for the main construction but also for the preparatory work. That is, the project announced by Sargsyan was postponed. In fact, the Armenian government has ceased to consider this project a priority.

The project could not be implemented due to lack of finance. Apparently, Sargsyan was counting on Moscow’s generosity, but Russia refused to allocate $5 billion to a new NPP for Armenia.

So, it remains strange why the Armenian Deputy Prime Minister returned to this issue in the U.S. Most probable, Avinyan went to ask for money for NPP construction from Washington.

The Metsamor NPP was commissioned in 1980. This NPP has completed the service life and its continued operation can lead to catastrophic consequences for the entire region.

Earlier, the EU offered assistance in the amount of 100 million euros to close NPP, while Armenia refused and continue to manage NPP, putting at risk the lives of millions of people.

Besides, Armenia does not attach importance to the proposals of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the closure of the Metsamor NPP.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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