Will a New Nuclear Power Plant Be Built or Is It Just Another Political Maneuver?

The publication writes: "During a Q&A session in the National Assembly, Nikol Pashinyan announced that negotiations are underway for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia. The announcement was made in the context of the government’s involvement in the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine. Specifically, an offer was made to Armenia by one of the owners of 'GeoProMining' and a member of the board of directors, stating that this proposal has been discussed and that it aligns with the economic and state interests of Armenia... This plan includes the construction of a new nuclear power plant, and negotiations have already begun regarding its construction."

We attempted to gather additional information on who is negotiating, with whom, and when the construction work for the nuclear plant is set to begin. The General Director of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, Edvard Martirosyan, a former Director of the National Security Service, promised to provide more "detailed" information on this topic after our call yesterday, but then went silent and has not been answering our calls since. Meanwhile, experts are confident that the announcement regarding a new nuclear power plant is just another propaganda balloon; otherwise, Armenia would not have rejected Russian financing for the refurbishment of the power plant back in June 2020. According to a 2015 loan agreement, Moscow was supposed to provide Armenia with a $270 million loan and a $30 million grant. Therefore, it is not ruled out that this is yet another political maneuver," the newspaper reports.