Azatutyun.am. A memorandum of understanding on “strategic nuclear cooperation” between Armenia and the United States could strengthen the South Caucasus country’s energy security, a senior Armenian diplomat said on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed the document after talks held in Washington on Monday. An Armenian delegation led by Mirzoyan also met with other senior U.S. State Department officials as part of a bilateral “strategic dialogue” launched three years ago.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, the two sides said the memorandum “will serve as a mechanism through which our governments can develop stronger ties between our nuclear experts, industries, and researchers.” They gave no further details.
Armen Yeganian, a senior Armenian Foreign Ministry official accompanying Mirzoyan, expressed hope that this and two other US.-Armenian documents signed in Washington “will contribute to Armenia’s energy security and independence and the strengthening of democracy.”
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“This memorandum will enable us to use, to a certain extent, American know-how and achievements and to engage in exchanges between our scientists,” Yeganian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Commenting on the memorandum, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that “Armenia looks to diversify its energy supply.”
Russian nuclear fuel and natural gas generate roughly two-thirds of Armenia’s electricity. Russia has financed the $300 million modernization of the Metsamor nuclear power plant completed last year and expressed readiness to help the Armenian government replace it by a new facility in 2036.
Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Hakob Vartanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service last week that Moscow and Yerevan have formed a task force that will explore the possibility of jointly building the new nuclear plant.
In Yeganian’s words, Armenian and U.S. officials have not discussed a possible U.S. participation in the ambitious project.
