Why did Turkey ‘remember’ the Metsamor nuclear power plant?

Turkey’s demand to shut down the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is not new. The timing of this demand, however, is different. Armenia is expected to approve a new nuclear power project and begin construction in the coming months. Ankara wants to obstruct these plans. According to Armenia’s energy expert at the UN, Ara Marjanyan, Armenia is doing its homework, while it seems to be delaying the issue of a new nuclear plant.

“Work on the new nuclear plant should start immediately because it takes about 10 years to build, finalize, and put it into operation. Every minute now is crucial,” Marjanyan noted.

But why is Armenia slowing down? Armen Manelyan believes it is directly related to the policies of the current government.

“The current government of Armenia is listening to Baku and Ankara’s demands and trying to fulfill them at any cost. It’s possible that the work on the new nuclear plant is not progressing to meet Turkish-Azerbaijani demands,” the geopolitics expert in energy said

Apart from its energy security importance, the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant grants Armenia a high status as the only country in the region with such a facility. This does not sit well with Azerbaijan and Turkey, who are trying to strip Armenia of this status as well.

To remind, on June 1, representatives of 33 civil society organizations in Turkey’s Iğdır Province, organized a protest demanding the closure of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

“We are calling on all international organizations dealing with nuclear issues and the Armenian government to close the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant before Armenia faces a fate similar to Chernobyl or Fukushima. Our country’s relevant authorities must take immediate measures to shut down this power plant. Our fight will continue until the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is closed,” says the statement, which was read out during the rally by Sabahat Aslan, President of the Mersin Nature and Environment Association.