Before the opening of the maiden nuclear power plant in Turkey at the Akkuyu plant, the two heads of state had a conversation with each other.
According to statements made by their respective offices, the President of Russi Vladimir Putin along with Recep Tayyip Erdogan engaged in telephone conversations prior to the two nations’ joint celebration of the opening of Turkey’s maiden nuclear power plant.
Rosatom, the national nuclear energy business of Russia, is responsible for the construction of Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power station, which is located in the southern province of Mersin.
According to Erdogan’s office, Putin was praised by Erdogan on Thursday while they were on the phone asking for his assistance with the power plant. According to what was found, they also talked about the Black Sea grains project and what was going on in Ukraine.
Putin reported that they came to an agreement to expand their economic, commercial, and agricultural cooperation. He stated that the two nations were working together on a project proposed by Erdogan to distribute flour manufactured from Russian wheat to nations that were in need of it.
Both President Obama and President Bush took part in a ceremony that was held to honor the delivery of nuclear ammunition in the first generating unit at Akkuyu by participating digitally.
Turkey will be able to enter the exclusive club of nations that have access to civil nuclear energy once it completes the $20 billion, 4,800-megawatt plan that will construct four nuclear reactors near the town of Akkuyu, which is located on the Mediterranean.
According to Andei Likhachev, the head of Rosatom, they intend to finish the physical construction of the plant the next year so as to be ready to produce power on a consistent basis beginning in 2025, as was previously agreed upon.
Likhachev has referred to the facility as the biggest nuclear building site on the earth, and Turkey has high hopes that it will help them become less reliant on foreign fuels for their energy needs.
The sanctions that the West placed on Russia as a result of its war with Ukraine created complications for the development of the Akkuyu project.
At the occasion of the launch, the head of the Akkuyu factory, Sergei Butskikh, disclosed to reporters that the company is facing a number of logistical challenges.
The length of the transport routes continues to increase. There are some shipping companies that are unable to cooperate with our business. Therefore, he continued, we are experiencing the effects of the sanctions here.
However, the standard of the plant’s development has not been compromised in any way by this.
Erdogan is among the rare world leaders who have managed to keep his relationship with Putin on a positive track by not signing on to Western sanctions against Russia and working as a mediator to bring an end to the conflict.
Due to a health ailment that led him to abandon campaign rallies this week, Erdogan participated in the ceremony that took place on Thursday via a video conference instead of traveling to the location itself. According to the Health Minister of Turkey Fahrettin Koca, the President of Turkey is currently feeling much better.
On May 14, Turkey will be holding historic elections for both the presidency and parliament.
