Report: Armenia calls on Turkey to join nuclear tender

"In addition to our strategic partner, Russia, we also want our neighbor Turkey to participate in the construction of the power plant, which will help stability in our region," Sarksyan was quoted as saying by Russian daily Nezavisimaya, the CNN-Türk news channel reported yesterday. The Armenian prime minister also stressed the economic and political importance of the power plant.

The tender for the new reactor was announced last Monday. Armenia is seeking a new 1,000 megawatt reactor for the plant, built in 1980 about 30 kilometers west of the capital, Yerevan. The plant had been shut down after a devastating earthquake in 1988, but it was reactivated in 1995 due to energy shortages caused by blockades imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey. The Turkish side is expecting official confirmation of Sarksyan's public call, the Nezavisimaya report said, citing unnamed sources in Ankara. "There is a possibility of accepting Yerevan's proposal," a high-level Turkish official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The report noted that Sarksyan's call for Turkish participation in the project has been warmly welcomed in Armenia, except by extreme nationalist groups. The Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Ministry estimated value of the project at about $5 billion. The deadline for filing bids is April 1. Armenia's parliament abolished a state monopoly on the ownership of new reactors at the plant in 2006 in a bid to attract foreign investment. Russia, the United States and France have shown interest in the project.

The plant has been operated by Russia's Inter RAO UES since 2003 as part of a 10-year deal to help pay off Armenia's debts. The current reactor will reach the end of its operational life by 2016.

Hopes for rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey, which do not have diplomatic ties, have been high since President Abdullah Gül visited Armenia last September to watch a World Cup qualifying match between the national teams of the two countries. Since then diplomats have been holding closed-door meetings on how to normalize ties.