It Will Not Have Political Undertones, Says Pashinyan

Armenia has made a strategic decision to proceed with the construction of a small modular nuclear reactor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in the National Assembly.

“We have asked all our partners if they would mind if we discuss this issue with others as well, and everyone said no. Why am I saying this? When I go to Moscow, they say it’s over, meaning it is being built with Moscow. We are signing a memorandum with the U.S. and then going to Moscow, where they say, ‘But you signed a memorandum, why did you go to Moscow... we want to receive proposals at this point,” he noted.

Pashinyan stated that currently, Armenia is in discussion with Russia, the United States, China, North Korea, and France on this topic.

He emphasized that a decision must be made and a contract signed in the next year or two. “This will not have a political background, because we want a small modular reactor and we prefer to have it at a better price and with safer technology,” he added.