US Turns Armenia Into 'Nuclear' Centre In S Caucasus

(MENAFN- AzerNews) Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Almost 30 years ago, when Azerbaijan needed support during the former Garabagh conflict, the US enacted Section 907, banning all direct aid to Baku. Instead of recognizing the rights of a country whose territories were under occupation, putting pressure on it was a clear example of hypocrisy and double standards.

This theory of the West has always existed and continues to this day.

For example, let us take the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) attitude towards the nuclear crisis in the world. About two weeks ago, a fire broke out at the Nuclear Power Station in the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine as a result of a shootout between the parties (Russia-Ukraine). The seriousness of the incident is obvious, and if it is a nuclear threat, there is no need to make any comments or arguments about it. Although a message of protest came from Rafael Grossi, the IAEA head regarding the incident, the cause of the fire was not identified and the matter remained as it was.

The United States has been talking about the danger of Iran's nuclear reactors for years and tries to explain the situation in such a way that all regional states neighboring Iran should be evacuated from their territories. The seriousness of the nuclear threat cannot be doubted, but if there is prejudice, it leads to some misunderstanding...

The United States is reviewing Armenia's application to join the 123 Agreement, which would allow Armenia to access American civilian nuclear technology, according to the State Department.

The information states that, under US federal law, the US government must sign Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act, which sets out the terms of the transfer of civilian nuclear technology to other countries. According to the State Department's 2022 update, the US has such agreements with 48 countries and territories.

If Armenia joins the 123 Agreement, it could pave the way for the development and construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia using US technology, replacing the Soviet-era Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

It is very interesting that this station, which was put into operation for the first time in the South Caucasus in 1976 during the time of the Soviet Union, after being unused for a long time, was put on the agenda again based on the interests of the United States.

The nuclear complex, which consists of two units, was stopped by the decision of the former Soviet government after the impact caused by the earthquake in Spitak (Hamamli / historically was part of Western Azerbaijan) in 1988.

After the fall of the USSR, Armenia had a period of energy scarcity and the government decided to reopen the plant, and subsequently unit 2 restarted on 5 November 1995, six years after being shut down.

The location of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in a seismic area of ​​approximately 10 points is not discussed today either in the IAEA or in the US State Department. Here, it is a clear fact that Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and other states close to the region face danger.

In addition to all these dangers, nobody cares if the station opens the door to illegal nuclear trade. There are more than 200 radioactive sources in the territory of Armenia. These sources include various types of isotopes. There have also been cases of smuggling of radioactive isotopes in Armenia. This increases the possibility of using radionuclides for terrorist purposes.

Ecologically, the damage caused by this station to the environment is without exception. Liquid waste from the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is ultimately discharged into the Araz, a trans-boundary river. The plant is located in a water-scarce area, drawing water from deep wells to cool its aging reactor. During earthquakes, it is possible to change the level of underground water and the direction of flows, which is a clear evidence of the unreliability of the cooling system.

Thus, the West, which uses Armenia as a dangerous weapon in the South Caucasus, caused serious concern in the region with its next weird decision. With this decision, the United States demonstrated that its interests are more important than any certain security procedure.

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