Putin hails opening of Russian-built nuclear plant in Turkey and praises Erdogan
- President Vladimir Putin and President Tayyip Erdogan marked the building of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant by Russia’s Rosatom
- The Russian leader also heaped praise on the Turkish president and his leadership ahead of a key election in the Nato country
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan held talks by telephone on Thursday, their offices said, before the two countries marked the inauguration of Turkey’s first nuclear power reactor.
The Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey’s southern Mersin province has been built by Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom.
Erdogan thanked Putin during their call for his help on the power plant, the Turkish leader’s office said. They also discussed the Black Sea grain initiative and the situation in Ukraine, it said.
Putin said they agreed to deepen economic, trade and agricultural cooperation.
Both presidents took part virtually in a ceremony marking the loading of nuclear fuel into the first power unit at Akkuyu.
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The US$20 billion, 4,800 megawatt (MW) project to build four reactors in the Mediterranean town of Akkuyu will allow Turkey to join the small club of nations with civil nuclear energy.