ERDOGAN TELLS PUTIN TURKEY WANTS TO BUILD MORE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS WITH RUSSIA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed expanding nuclear cooperation with Russia beyond the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.
The proposal was made during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Erdogan said the Akkuyu project has reached its final stage and that, once the plant becomes operational, Turkey is prepared to take new steps with Russia on additional nuclear power plants.
He also invited Putin to attend the inauguration ceremony for the Akkuyu plant.
Putin described Turkey as one of Russia’s privileged partners and said he was confident that Russia’s state nuclear company, Rosatom, would launch the first Akkuyu reactor unit this year.
The project, however, has faced repeated delays. Construction began in 2018, with the first unit originally expected to enter service in 2023, but the schedule has since slipped by several years.
Erdogan did not specify which future projects he wants Russia to join. Turkey has long considered building second and third nuclear power plants in Sinop and Thrace.
Ankara had previously explored cooperation with countries including South Korea and Canada for the Sinop project. Erdogan’s latest remarks, however, signal that Russia could potentially play a larger role in Turkey’s future nuclear expansion.
The development is particularly significant because Turkey is a NATO member, while Russia remains the alliance’s primary strategic adversary.
As Ankara deepens its nuclear partnership with Moscow, questions are likely to grow over what closer long-term energy and strategic cooperation with Russia could mean for Turkey’s broader commitments within NATO