Russia and Turkey talking again
14 January 2010
Just weeks after the Turkish government cancelled a tender for new reactors, Russia and Turkey have signed a joint declaration on cooperation to build a nuclear power plant in the country. The declaration was signed by Russian deputy prime minister Igor Sechin and Turkish minister for energy and natural resources Taner Yildiz after talks in Moscow between Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Russian reports, Putin noted at a press conference that Russia's ability to offer a full range of nuclear services, from credit resources through to the return of spent fuel for disposal, gave it an advantage over its competitors. Noting that Russia is ready to cooperate with European partners, Putin said he was expectant of a "positive decision". A consortium headed by Russia's AtomStroyExport was the sole bidder in the recently abandoned tendering process to build Turkey its first nuclear power plant.