The US Confirms Armenia's Application to Join the Nuclear Agreement

The United States is reviewing Armenia's application to join the "123 Agreement," which, if approved, would allow Armenia to access American civil nuclear technologies, a State Department spokesperson told CivilNet in a written comment.

According to US federal law, the US government must sign Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, which outlines the necessary conditions for transferring civilian nuclear technologies to other countries. The US has such agreements with 48 countries and territories, according to Department of State data updated in 2022.

If Armenia joins the "123 Agreement," it could pave the way for the design and construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia using American technologies, which would replace the Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant built during the Soviet era.

“The US government does not share details of the negotiation process, but we can say that the State Department is giving proper attention to Armenia’s request to join the 123 Agreement,” the spokesperson said in a written comment to CivilNet on Tuesday.

“Although we cannot provide details on the internal processes of US government negotiations with other countries, the United States welcomes opportunities to deepen civil nuclear cooperation with Armenia,” the response stated.