Turkish Side Activates Again Regarding Armenian Nuclear Power Plant

Turkey and Azerbaijan have seized every opportunity over the past 30 years to repeatedly claim on international platforms and meetings that the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant poses a danger and should be closed. These two Turkish states have not succeeded, as the nuclear energy sector is one where technical assessments come first. This does not mean that political assessments are devalued, but during those years, Armenia held a different status, with a different ‘voice,’ and was able to neutralize the Turkish narrative alongside the international professional and technical assessments related to the Nuclear Power Plant.

Today, Turkey and Azerbaijan continue their political statements, which also have an economic-political basis. In other words, Turkey is currently building a nuclear power plant and has a serious strategy for electricity exportation, and, of course, it benefits that Armenia does not have a nuclear plant and could fall into dependency on Turkey in this regard in the future.

In the 2000s, the EU advised us to close the nuclear power plant; experience showed that when we remained steadfast in our decision not to close it (proven by all technical and economic parameters), we emerged victorious. Especially since experts have always stated that nuclear plants operate cleaner than, say, thermal plants. Now, the European Commission has declared nuclear energy to be ‘green’ (the politically possible recurring prohibition has been removed). We must remain steadfast and continue to develop nuclear energy, viewing it in the context of our country's energy independence and security.

In remaining steadfast, we should not ignore any Turkish statements regarding the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, even if they are nonsensical. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, during a meeting with IAEA Director Rafael Grossi, claimed that the power plant poses a significant nuclear threat to Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, and the entire region, works with outdated technologies, and has serious technical problems. Naturally, the Azerbaijani press will not mention what Grossi said. Instead, we will inform to ensure that this Azerbaijani foolishness does not get acted upon within our society. But first, let’s cite some facts.

In April 2010, the 11th meeting of the Council on Nuclear Energy Safety was held in Yerevan. The council members included representatives from Armenia, Germany, the USA, France, Russia, Austria, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic. Considering the latest Turkish outbursts, I asked the President of the Council on Nuclear Energy Safety, Adolf Birkhoff (Germany), to speak about the state of our Nuclear Power Plant. Mr. Birkhoff stated in front of reporters, ‘Since the Armenian nuclear power plant recommenced operations, many security measures have been implemented. As a result, the Armenian nuclear power plant today looks completely different. And it should be noted that it is fully comparable to similar nuclear plants around the world. The Armenian leadership and the plant's operating staff pay great attention to the operation, reliability, and safety of the nuclear power plant.’

To this day, security measures have not ceased. As is the norm in the operation of nuclear plants, the level of safety is regularly enhanced, and to date, not a single international professional organization or expert group, or even an observer mission has raised any concerns about the danger of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. Moreover, from neither Russian, nor even European sources, which wanted to close the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, and not even from the American side.

In the past, an offensive against the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was initiated by expert Richard Russell, whose articles were published in the ‘Foreign Policy Journal.’ What was revealed was that Russell was an international relations specialist at the Baku Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy. In other words, this Western expert was on the payroll of the Azerbaijani authorities. In short, this is what is termed an Azerbaijani influence agent.

However, let’s bring it back to the present. On October 4, 2022, a delegation led by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, visited the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. Yes, it was the same Grossi to whom Aliyev supposedly made claims about the danger of our Nuclear Power Plant. Grossi noted with great satisfaction that since his last visit, extensive comprehensive work has been carried out at the plant, which will certainly guarantee the continued safety and reliable operation of the plant. ‘I had the opportunity to see with my own eyes the enormous work that has been carried out at the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, and I am convinced that you truly deserve the support that the IAEA is providing. Continue to work in this spirit, and we, in turn, will do everything we can to support you,’ concluded the IAEA Director.

Prior to this, from September 27-29 of the same year, an Armenian delegation participated in the IAEA's 66th General Conference held in Vienna. Within the framework of this session, the Armenian delegation met with U.S. representatives responsible for the peaceful and safe use of atomic technologies. The meeting was effective. From February 21-25, 2022, an IAEA expert mission was conducted at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant on the topic of ‘Self-assessment of Nuclear Security Culture.’ The mission's goal was to familiarize itself with the outcomes of the self-assessment of the physical security culture conducted at the plant. Based on the results, during the final meeting held on February 25, IAEA experts highly valued the work carried out by the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

The IAEA representatives were also in Armenia in October 2019. On October 29, representatives from the internal auditing service of the IAEA were at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant for the purpose of evaluating the technical cooperation programs conducted between 2012-2018 aimed at the extension of the plant’s operational lifetime. The mission was also comprised of specialists from Great Britain and Germany. The cooperation was effective. We reached June 2019. At that time, the IAEA team announced that ‘Armenia has made progress in strengthening its regulatory framework in the field of nuclear and radiation safety.’ This was stated in the IAEA’s press release summarizing the results of the team’s seven-day mission. Moreover, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant has always been open for international cooperation, the mission was carried out at the request of the Armenian government and organized by the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA). The team noted that Armenia has made progress since 2015 by adopting a strategy for managing spent fuel and radioactive waste and strengthening emergency preparedness and response inspections.

In May 2019, the IAEA was again in Armenia. At that time, the director was not Grossi, but Yukiya Amano, who was visiting the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant for the second time; he had been there for the first time in 2012. ‘A large volume of work has been undertaken at the plant since that time aimed at both enhancing safety and extending the operational life of the Nuclear Power Plant.’ By the way, since the IAEA has not opposed or ‘seen any issues’ with the Republic of Armenia having a new Nuclear Power Plant (as previously discussed), Amano posed a question regarding the selection of the site for the construction of a new Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEA’s Director left the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant expressing his satisfaction.

Of course, we can continue listing these developments all the way back to the re-launching of the second block of the Nuclear Power Plant in 1995. Since then to this day, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant has cooperated with international specialized bodies. Let’s return to the meeting between Aliyev and Grossi. Grossi's response to Aliyev's insinuations was succinct (in an interview with Azerbaijani reporters), ‘There is a mission of the IAEA there (in Armenia), we discuss issues related to ensuring safety standards with our Armenian partners.’

The IAEA is a specialized institution, and it couldn’t have said more. We will attempt to respond to both the professional and political ignorance of the Turkish side. First, when Ankara and its instrument Baku speak about the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant being dangerous, it means they are questioning all the professional-technical reports concerning the Nuclear Power Plant throughout these past thirty years. Moreover, if the Armenian nuclear power plant is dangerous for the region, then why did the Turkish side issue threats in 2020 regarding attacking the Nuclear Power Plant? Is it not a threat to the region then?

Let’s recall, that in July 2020, a representative of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense stood out for his exceptionally shortsighted statements, threatening that Azerbaijan would launch missile strikes against the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. ‘The Armenian side should not forget that the most modern missile systems available in the Azerbaijani army allow precise strikes on the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, which would lead to a great catastrophe for Armenia,’ stated the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, Vagif Dargyakhli.

Thus, according to the Turkish logic, if they launch a missile strike, the disaster is only for Armenia, but if the Nuclear Power Plant operates normally, the danger is for the entire region. It should be noted, that Grossi was informed about the Azerbaijani declaration at the time. The Armenian side raised concerns regarding the Azerbaijani military's threats to launch missile strikes against the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, noting that such statements constitute a flagrant violation of all norms of international humanitarian law and pose a serious challenge not only to the security and stability of Armenia but to the entire region. The Armenian side emphasized that the Azerbaijani government’s condemnable statement regarding targeting the Nuclear Power Plant is nothing but a blatant manifestation of state terrorism.