Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched the construction of the first power unit for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in in the southern province of Mersin through a teleconference.
Russia's president congratulated those present on the ceremony, stressing that it is difficult to overestimate its significance. "In fact, today we are not only present at the construction of the first Turkish nuclear power plant, but we are also creating the basis for Turkey in the nuclear industry as a whole." Turkey is a highly developed state in terms of technology and economics, but this is a new stage in the development of the Turkish economy," Putin said.
The head of state recalled that Russia is one of the recognized leaders in the field of world atomic energy. He assured that the construction of Akkuyu will use the most advanced engineering solutions, as well as economically efficient and reliable technologies - the same ones used to build nuclear power plants in Russia. Putin drew attention to compliance with safety standards, including with environmental standards.
The Turkish president, in turn, said that the Akkuyu nuclear power plant will meet 10% of Turkey’s requirements for electric power. "As the Akkuyu NPP is put into operation in 2023, Turkey will join the family of countries with nuclear power engineering. The Akkuyu NPP will allow us to meet 10% of the entire requirement for electric power," Erdogan stressed.
Putin arrived in Ankara on a two-day visit today. After the ceremony, the heads of state will hold the talks in a narrow format, which will be followed by the meeting of the High-Level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council.
On April 4, Russian, Turkish and Iranian presidents will discuss the Syrian settlement.
