For Iran, Putin Agrees Being Surrounded by American Nuclear Toys
Despite the Appearances, the Iranian Nuclear Adventure Goes On
In exchange for the US’ silence regarding Putin’s intentions to endow Iran with the nuclear bomb, after Ukraine, the Baltics are next in line to be endowed with American nuclear military technology.
Despite the statements in the international media, claiming that no further progress has been made in the Iranian nuclear issue, with small but determined steps, Putin will probably come soon to a concrete agreement with the US on Iran, pushing for his “nuclear club” enrichment invention, according to which Russia will hopefully have exclusivity and not just priority in NPP building, in exchange of allowing the presence of the US’ nuclear military technology quite near his pillow.
~Vera
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Iran to give Russia priority in NPP building - minister | |||||
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TEHRAN, February 25 (RIA Novosti) - Iran will give Russian organizations a priority in the construction of nuclear power plants, Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davud Danesh-Jafari said Saturday.
"We have a very good experience of cooperation with Russian organizations in the construction of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr," the minister said. "Naturally, we will invite Russian organizations to bid for the construction of new power plants on preferential conditions."
He said all aspects of Russian-Iranian cooperation were positive expect some insignificant issues, which hampered the launch of the Bushehr
NPP.
About 3,700 Russian experts are currently helping to build the $800-million plant, originally started in the early 1980s by German specialists, in the port city of Bushehr in southern Iran in accordance with a 1992 agreement between the two countries.
The Iranian nuclear program envisages the construction of 20 power units with a total capacity of 20 gigawatts.
Baltic states agree to build nuclear power plant in Lithuania | |||||
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RIGA, February 27 (RIA Novosti, Yuri Guralnik) - The three former Soviet Baltic
republics have agreed on the joint construction of a nuclear power plant, the office of the Lithuanian prime minister said in a statement Monday.
The prime ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia agreed at their meeting Monday to build a nuclear power plant in Lithuania before 2015, the statement said.
The premiers concluded that the NPP construction would be the easiest way to resolve an energy crisis expected in 2009, when the Chernobyl-style Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania will be closed due to the European Union's nuclear safety requirements.
Three energy companies - Latvenergo, Eesti Energa and Lietuvos energia AB - will work on the NPP
project. They will have to draft an investment plan and select a contractor for the project, which will cost an estimated $3-4 billion.
Lithuania had previously expressed its interest in continuing its nuclear program beyond the closure of the Soviet-era Ignalina nuclear power plant.
| Feasibility study for Baltic nuclear plant |
| 01 February 2006 |
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are expected to commission a feasibility study for a new nuclear power plant in the region following a conference in the
Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
Each of the states face electricity shortages from 2015 and accession to the European Union will see the second RBMK-1500 unit at the Lithuanian Ignalina plant closed by 2009 as a condition of joining the European economic bloc. Unit 1 at Ignalina was shut down at the end of 2004 as part of the accession agreement. The feasibility study is thought to be considering developing a new facility at the Ignalina site.
New nuclear power plant in Lithuania: it will be build? |
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| Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas won the backing of his Latvian and Estonian counterparts on Monday for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania . Brazauskas , Latvia 's Aigars Kalvitis and Estonia 's Andrus Ansip signed a memorandum calling
for the construction of the new nuclear power plant at a meeting of the Baltic prime ministers in Trakai, some 28 kilometers (17 miles) west of the capital, Vilnius . |
"It is very important that members of the EU sustain the right to choose which energy sector they should develop," Brazauskas said. The three Baltic states joined the EU in 2004.
There was no indication of when or where the new nuclear plant would be built, or how it would be financed. As part of its deal to join the bloc, Lithuania agreed to shut down completely by 2009 its existing nuclear power plant in Ignalina, which currently provides more than 90 percent of the country's electricity.
The Ignalina plant, located 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Vilnius, is similar in type to that at Chernobyl in Ukraine, site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. Increases in the price of Russian oil and gas imports have prompted some Lithuanian lawmakers to back the construction of a new nuclear power plant.
"Latvian and Estonian energy companies will be invited to invest in the nuclear power plant project," said Nemira Pumprickaite, Brazauskas' spokeswoman. The prime ministers also agreed Monday to try to establish a joint position on energy issues before a European Council meeting in Brussels on March 23-24, reports the AP.
N.U.
| Baltic PMs approve Vilnius’ initiative to build NPP in Lithuania. 27.02.2006, 19.55 | |
| | VILNIUS, February 27 (Itar-Tass) - Prime Ministers of Baltic States have approved Vilnius’ initiative to build a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania. The prime ministers of Baltic States signed an agreement to this effect in Trakai, Lithuania, 25 kilometres from Vilnius, on Monday. Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas said, “Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian energy companies have been invited to invest in projects to build a new nuclear power plant.” Although the agreement does not specify the place where the nuclear power plant is built “it is necessary to use the existing potential of the Ignalita nuclear power plant,” the Lithuanian prime minister stressed. Under the June 2002 agreement, the plant will be closed by the end of 2009. The first unit was shut down on December 31, 2004. The Lithuanian nuclear power plant exported electricity to Russia’s Kaliningrad region, Belarus, Baltic States and Poland. Under the document, this year Baltic States intend to work out an energy
strategy. They are planning “to analyse possibilities of terminals and storages of liquefied gas, primarily in the territory of Latvia near Lithuania’s border.” The Baltic prime ministers also discussed international problems and coordinated their positions in the energy sector. |
Baltic states agree to build nuclear reactor
27.02.2006 - 19:26 CET | By Andrew Rettman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU could get a new nuclear reactor in Lithuania under a fresh energy security deal signed by Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn in the Lithuanian town of Trakai on Monday (27 February).
The Baltic states' energy pact does not give a schedule for the project, but "invites" the firms Lietuvos energjia, Latvenergo and Eesti Energia "to invest in the preparation and construction" of a new reactor at the Ignalina plant.
Lithuania shut down one old reactor at Ignalina in 2004 under its EU accession treaty, with plans afoot to shut down the facility's second old unit in 2009.
EU public opinion does not like nuclear power, with a recent European Commission survey indicating just 12 percent of people would be happy to see more nuclear plants.
But a Lithuanian diplomat told EUobserver the Baltic states are cut off from the rest of the EU power grid and face being bypassed by a new Russian-German Baltic Sea gas pipeline.
"Of course, we are still hoping to be included in the pipeline, but we shall have to wait and see," the contact indicated.
He added that the Baltics' energy "vulnerability" is not well understood by the commission and other EU states.
More ideas for EU energy policy
The Baltic states' energy pact does not give a schedule for the project, but "invites" the firms Lietuvos energjia, Latvenergo and Eesti Energia "to invest in the preparation and construction" of a new reactor at the Ignalina plant.
Lithuania shut down one old reactor at Ignalina in 2004 under its EU accession treaty, with plans afoot to shut down the facility's second old unit in 2009.
EU public opinion does not like nuclear power, with a recent European Commission survey indicating just 12 percent of people would be happy to see more nuclear plants.
But a Lithuanian diplomat told EUobserver the Baltic states are cut off from the rest of the EU power grid and face being bypassed by a new Russian-German Baltic Sea gas pipeline.
"Of course, we are still hoping to be included in the pipeline, but we shall have to wait and see," the contact indicated.
He added that the Baltics' energy "vulnerability" is not well understood by the commission and other EU states.
More ideas for EU energy policy
The Baltics' energy plan also calls for integration of electrcity markets in the region; developing liquid gas port terminals and boosting gas reserves.
The trio welcomed EU efforts to create a common energy policy in the wake of the January Ukraine gas crunch, but stressed the need to "maintain national sovereignty over the choice of primary energy sources."
They also urged the 25-strong bloc to speak "with one strong voice" to oil and gas supplier Russia and the Middle East oil cartel, OPEC, using tools such as the G8 club and the World Trade Organisation as leverage in talks.
The commission's green paper on a common energy policy is due on 8 March with follow-up discussions at a top level summit later that month.
But member states' infighting on takeovers of national energy firms, such as Spain's Endesa and France's Suez, does not bode well for the plan.
Polish energy solidarity plan gains support
The Baltic states also backed Poland's idea of an energy solidarity pact, saying EU states should use their gas stocks to help any one member facing a supply crunch.
Poland's energy solidarity scheme is more ambitious however, extending to all 32 NATO states, with top diplomat Stanislaw Komorowski asking EU colleagues on Monday to place the "energy NATO" idea on the March summit agenda.
Polish prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz sent a letter with details of the project to all EU and NATO members as well as the European Commission last week.
The NATO-type pact would be overseen by an entirely new institution and could stand in parallel to any EU common energy policy, Mr Komorowski indicated.
He said that no matter what happens to the NATO idea, Poland will also push to get the word "solidarity" inserted in the March energy council conclusions.
Basic agreement which has no basis | |||||
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MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Romanov.) - The recent visit of Sergey Kiriyenko, head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power (Rosatom), to Tehran did not change much the situation, which has taken shape in the last few months around Iran's nuclear program. The question of whether this program is peaceful or potentially military has not been removed. Russia's proposal to enrich uranium at a
joint venture on its territory under IAEA control has remained unanswered.
The world has heard nothing new from Tehran. After the talks Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh said: "Regarding this joint venture, we have reached a basic agreement. Talks to complete this package will continue in Russia during the forthcoming negotiations." He added that the question had many political aspects.
Just as before, the Iranians have reserved for themselves a possibility of retreat, and are doing everything to stall time. But there is not too much time left - the situation will clear up before a session of the IAEA Board of Governors on March 6.
As expected, the Russian-Iranian
talks have evoked a reserved response both in Russia and the rest of the world. "The Russian-Iranian basic agreement to establish a joint venture on uranium enrichment on Russian territory is a positive but not final step in the solution to Iran's nuclear program," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the State Duma international affairs committee. "This agreement is just part of the solution to the problem, which Russia is trying to find. Russia is moving in the right direction."
U.S. President National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley has told CNN it is too early to say anything, because in such agreements the devil is always in the details, and time will show what comes out of it. This statement is well justified, just as the intention of Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso to find out more details about the Russian-Iranian joint venture during his forthcoming trip to
Tehran. The response in other world capitals was very much the same.
Apprehensions about Iran are only natural because it itself generates mistrust with misdirected energy. Enough to mention almost 20 years of secret nuclear efforts, numerous statements by President Ahmadinejad about his desire "to erase Israel from the face of the Earth," and endless evasion of a straight answer to Russia's clear-cut IAEA-approved proposal of a joint venture. Alarm is further fuelled by statements of Iranian officials about Tehran's intention to reserve for itself the right to engage in small-scale, experimental nuclear enrichment on its own territory, in addition to work in the joint venture. In effect, this statement disavows the very idea of the joint venture. What's the point if uranium is
upgraded both in Russia and in Iran?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a very clear statement on this score: "Tehran is still linking the formation of the joint venture with limited albeit national R&D effort on its territory... Russia cannot agree to build a joint venture on such terms because its very idea will vanish, and because it contradicts the February IAEA Board of Governors resolution, which urges Iran to stop any work on uranium enrichment."
In other words, the news about a breakthrough and a basic agreement reached in Tehran by Sergey Kiriyenko is an exaggeration, to put it mildly.
This situation is not likely to change by March
6 even if the international community compels Tehran to say the final "yes" to Russia and sign a joint venture agreement. Regrettably, the Tehran regime's word and signature are not 100% trustworthy.
To sum up, even in the best case scenario for all, the Iranian nuclear issue will simply go into another phase, which will be less seen by the public. IAEA experts and security services of many countries will be zealously controlling Tehran's compliance with its commitments.
Neither the U.S., nor Russia, nor Europe, nor Israel or any other country, for that matter, has the slightest desire to see the Iranian military carrying the "football."
See also:
Sunday, February 19, 2006
For Iran, Putin willing to let Georgia and Ukraine go in NATO
Iran, Japan to discuss nuclear issues -
minister | |||||
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TOKYO, February 27 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Fesyun) - The Japanese foreign minister said Monday his country was interested in the details of the upcoming Russian-Iranian deal to establish a joint uranium enrichment venture in Russia.
Taro Aso told a news briefing ahead of a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki: "We have insufficient
information about the [Russian-Iranian] agreement on establishing a joint uranium enrichment venture, and I hope to discuss the details during our meeting [with Mottaki]."
During his visit in Japan from February 27 to March 1, Mottaki is also expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday.
Japan, one of world's largest consumers of Iranian oil at 550,000 bbl/d, is deeply troubled by the possibility that economic sanctions could be imposed against Iran if the country's nuclear file is referred to the UN Security Council, and thus welcomes any compromise that would avoid sanctions.
The mooted deal between Iran and Russia, which is
currently building an $800-million nuclear power plant near the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr, is seen as a potential compromise in the crisis around the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Although Tehran has consistently said it only wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes, the United States and other nations have concerns, as enriched uranium is a vital component for an atomic bomb.
On February 26, Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Agazadeh said the decision to establish a joint uranium enrichment venture could be made before the March 6 meeting of the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.
See also:
Friday, December 30, 2005
Ignoring the US' whinning, Russia will fuel Japan with Iranian oil, but which is the price of the deal?
Tehran set to pursue nuclear research - foreign minister | |||||
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TOKYO, February 27 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Fesyun) - Tehran will not halt its nuclear research, and will continue to develop its nuclear energy sector, the Iranian foreign minister said Monday.
Iran unilaterally lifted its two-year moratorium on atomic research earlier this year, allegedly to produce energy for its nuclear power plants. However, several countries have voiced fears that the country may be pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program.
In response to international allegations, the Iranian minister reiterated that his country had the right to use atomic power for energy, and that Iran would not stand any form of "nuclear apartheid."
The United States and other countries have been pushing for Iran's nuclear file to be referred to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on Tehran if it is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
Earlier, Aso had said Japan aimed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, in a bid to prevent UN economic sanctions.
Appearing in parliament Monday, Aso said Iran was secretly defying the decisions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, and was therefore losing the confidence of the international community.
Aso also said that Japan was not aware of the content of the preliminary agreement between Russia and Iran to set up the joint venture for uranium enrichment, and that it was still unclear whether Tehran had agreed to enrich uranium for its power plants outside its territory.
Mottaki, who will stay in Japan until March 1, plans to meet Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on February 28. Koizumi is expected to reiterate Japan's commitment to friendly and mutually beneficial relations with energy-rich Iran.
The possibility of UN economic sanctions against Iran in the wake of the IAEA's board session on March 6 has been raising international tensions, including in the Far East. Japan is a major importer of Iranian oil, receiving about 550,000 barrels a day.
Japan's Inpex company, where the government holds 36%, intends to develop oil fields in Azadegan in southern Iran, despite the U.S. government's objections.
Being dependent on Iranian oil supplies, which account for 15% of its oil imports, Japan wants to avoid any extreme measures or sanctions against Tehran.
Japan said it would not impose economic sanctions against Iran, but was willing to exert diplomatic pressure on the Islamic Republic to defuse the current situation.
Uranium solution closer after Tehran talks - Russian minister | |||||
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MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister said Monday that the nuclear negotiations in Tehran had helped to clarify how a joint venture to enrich uranium for Iran in Russia could be formed, and added the talks would continue this week.
Lavrov said the idea to enrich uranium in Russia for nuclear power plants in the Islamic Republic, which unilaterally lifted a two-year moratorium on nuclear research earlier this year, was part of a common effort to resolve the problem of Iran's controversial nuclear program.
The program has provoked international concerns that the country might be planning to develop nuclear weapons.
Lavrov said all the 35 member-nations of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, would have to agree with a possible package agreement between Russia and Iran on the uranium enrichment joint venture.
Lavrov said Moscow was working on the idea together with the IAEA director general, the European trio of Britain, France and Germany, and partners in the United States and China.
The minister also said that Russia's top nuclear official, Sergei Kiriyenko, had been in Tehran Sunday for nuclear negotiations with Iran.
"The centerpiece of the discussion was our initiative to open a joint venture in Russia to enrich uranium for Iran's peaceful nuclear energy [projects]," Lavrov said.
The sides agreed to continue negotiations.
Understanding on nuclear programs still possible - Tehran | |||||
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BEIJING, February 2 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Yefimov) - The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it was still
possible to reach a comprehensive understanding with the international community over its controversial nuclear research.
In a statement from the Iranian Embassy in China that was notable for its lack of belligerence in comparison with recent comments made by the Islamic Republic's leadership, the ministry suggested that the "understanding" might include postponing an emergency session of the UN's nuclear watchdog, which starts today.
"This understanding could mean postponing the second emergency session of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors from February 2 until March 6," the statement said.
A Monday meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany all but decided to refer the Iranian "nuclear file" to the UN after a scheduled meeting of its nuclear watchdog in March. The foreign ministers of the six nations opted to keep the Council informed about the matter up until that point, but the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board of governors is still set to discuss the escalating crisis when it meets in Vienna today.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad responded Wednesday by condemning the West's motives. After arriving in the southern town of Bushehr, where
Russia is building a $800-million nuclear power plant, Ahmadinejad told journalists: "The West has been living with its colonial dreams throughout the last 200 years, and its decisions on Iran's 'nuclear file' will not influence the decisions of the Iranian people."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry's statement contended that the move to refer the issue to New York was down to "ill will", which meant there was no need to hold the emergency session on February 2.
"We are not concerned about the Security Council", but a "discussion of the Iranian dossier in any organizations other than the IAEA will not solve the problem," the ministry said, adding that formulas that would suit all sides could still be found.
Many countries suspect Iran of pursuing a secret weapons program under the cover of research into peaceful nuclear energy, a point that was underscored by U.S. President George Bush in his State of the Union on Tuesday night. In particular, he charged Tehran with "defying the world" with its nuclear ambitions, and said "the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons".
Tehran has consistently rejected such claims and had taken a firm line on the referral of its nuclear programs to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions if Tehran is found to be in breach of its international commitments. A top negotiator recently said that it would mark the "end to diplomacy" if it happened.
Iran will accept no term beyond the Non-Proliferation Treaty and if the Iranian dossier is submitted to the Security Council, the West will see an adequate reaction, the document said.
"All of our European friends and the board of governors are aware that if the problem is referred to the Security Council, Iran will end any kind of cooperation with the UN nuclear office," Tehran said.
"The Additional Protocol [to Nuclear Safeguards Agreements] will become the first victim," Iran continued, meaning that nuclear inspections in the country would be ended completely.
In a considerably less confrontational tone, Iran said a Russian proposal to enrich Iranian uranium on its own territory still needed consideration.
"We can study the Russian proposal and it could be a good idea, but it includes important points which need comprehensive consideration," the ministry said insisting on additional talks. Some figures in the West have interpreted this as an attempt to play for time.
Iran called on other states to participate in this plan, saying that China and other countries could contribute to Iran's nuclear activity. However, it continued, no proposals have been made about China, which, along with Russia, could use its veto at the UN to
block any resolution on Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry mentioned that Ali Larijani, Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said during his recent visit to China, which has commercial interests in the Islamic Republic, that there were no obstacles to the country's participation.
Tehran set to pursue nuclear research - foreign minister | |||||
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TOKYO, February 27 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Fesyun) - Tehran will not halt its nuclear research, and will continue to develop its nuclear energy sector, the Iranian foreign minister said Monday.
Iran unilaterally lifted its two-year moratorium on atomic research earlier this year, allegedly to produce energy for its nuclear power plants. However, several countries have voiced fears that the country may be pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program.
In response to international allegations, the Iranian minister reiterated that his country had the right to use atomic power for energy, and that Iran would not stand any form of "nuclear apartheid."
The United States and other countries have been pushing for Iran's nuclear file to be referred
to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on Tehran if it is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
Earlier, Aso had said Japan aimed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, in a bid to prevent UN economic sanctions.
Appearing in parliament Monday, Aso said Iran was secretly defying the decisions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, and was therefore losing the confidence of the international community.
Aso also said that Japan was not aware of the content of the preliminary agreement between Russia and Iran to set up the joint venture for uranium enrichment, and that it was still unclear whether Tehran had agreed to enrich uranium for its power plants outside its territory.
Mottaki, who will stay in Japan until March 1, plans to meet Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on February 28. Koizumi is expected to reiterate Japan's commitment to friendly and mutually beneficial relations with energy-rich Iran.
The possibility of UN economic sanctions against Iran in the wake of the IAEA's board session on March 6 has been raising international tensions, including in the Far East. Japan is a major importer of Iranian oil, receiving about 550,000 barrels a day.
Japan's Inpex company, where the government holds 36%, intends to develop oil fields in Azadegan in southern Iran, despite the U.S. government's objections.
Being dependent on Iranian oil supplies, which account for 15% of its oil imports, Japan wants to avoid any extreme measures or sanctions against Tehran.
Japan said it would not impose economic sanctions against Iran, but was willing to exert diplomatic pressure on the Islamic Republic to defuse the current situation.
Russia, France for access to
uranium enrichment process | |||||
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MOSCOW, February 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and France are in favor of giving countries that do not have nuclear fuel cycle programs access to uranium enrichment services, a joint statement said Tuesday.
The joint Russian-French statement was adopted Tuesday in Moscow after French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin held talks in the Russian capital.
Both sides outlined their intentions to exchange equipment and science and technical data in the use of nuclear energy, particularly with developing countries, within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on January 31 that uranium enrichment centers could be set up in other "nuclear club" countries, providing access on a non-discriminatory basis to nations seeking nuclear fuel for power stations.
Russia and France also agreed to support initiatives on multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle and to develop secure, economical and stable systems of nuclear energy.
"Nuclear energy has always and will continue to play a significant role for the coming generations in solving the problem of stable development in the context of the growing demand for energy in the world," the statement said.
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