US evaluates nuclear cooperation with Turkey
It came to the fore that the USA and Turkey are conducting negotiations for American companies to build nuclear reactors in Turkey. According to Washington's claim, this initiative will help Ankara move away from Russian nuclear supply.
According to the news in the FDD, the talks are taking place at a time when the US House of Representatives is discussing the law that sancts the state-owned nuclear monopoly of Russia, Rosatom, and the Biden administration is triggering the conditions to impose sanctions on Turkish organizations that cooperate with nuclear with Moscow.
According to a Turkish energy official, the US exports of possible large nuclear power reactors and small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) to Turkey at the heart of the talks between Washington and Ankara.
US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake also told Reuters, 'We are working together to try to reduce [Turkey's] dependence on Russia as much as we can.'
Congress prepares for sanctions on Rosatom
Meanwhile, Congress is preparing sanctions as well as nuclear cooperation. On May 16, the House Foreign Relations Committee adopted the “Rosatom Enforcement Enforcement Act (HR 8046)” aimed at “permanently leaving the Russian nuclear industry” by Thomas Kean, Chairman of the European Subcommittee.
In essence, the law envisages the cessation of business in the US and the global with Rosatom, which remains an important source of income for the Kremlin as the Ukrainian war continues.
The law requires the Biden administration to “authorize secondary sanctions to Rosatom and its subsidiaries and affiliates...[and] any foreigner who is engaged in significant transactions with Rosatom.”
If the law is passed, it can affect the multibillion-dollar Turkish-Russian nuclear project in Akkuyu.
Sanction waiver may come to Ankara
The Rosatom Sanctions Act authorizes the Biden administration to waive sanctions by 2032 for countries that are actively working to eliminate business with Rosatom, as Washington hopes Ankara would. US-Turkey nuclear cooperation will probably require a waiver because Washington will not be able to legally nuclear cooperate with Turkish organizations, which are sanctioned for doing business with Rosatom.
It remains unclear how Washington plans to avoid sanctions against Turkey's cooperation with Russia after 2032, as Akkuyu power plants will remain in Russia's hands after this date and will be subject to the maintenance of Rosatom.
According to statements made by Rosatom CEO Alexei Lihachev on Russia 1 channel, the Americans recently seized 25 billion dollars allocated for the Akkuyu project.
Turkey also confirms negotiations with the USA
Speaking to Reuters at a conference on nuclear power plants at the beginning of the month, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources official Yusuf Ceylan said, "The USA shows serious interest in Turkey's goal of increasing its nuclear energy capacity and building new power plants."
Upon a question about the projects being discussed, Ceylan said, "We can evaluate the areas of existing power plants or new power plants. We are in talks with the US for both large-scale power plants and small modular reactors. 'This is a statement of intent,' he replied.
Ceylan said that negotiations with South Korea and Russia are continuing with the second nuclear power plant planned to be built in the Sinop region, and with China's SPIC company for the third nuclear power plant planned to be built in the Thrace region.
Ambassador Jeff Flake, on the other hand, stated that Ankara talked about small modular reactors (to build) with both the USA and "others".
DIPLOMACY
Published
40 minutes ago 11/07/2024AuthorThe final declaration of the NATO Summit held in Washington has been published.
While many meetings were held at the summit held on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the alliance, harsh words against China and Russia marked the final declaration with the Ukrainian war.
Emphasizing that NATO is a "defense alliance", the declaration underlined that the three main tasks of the alliance are deterrence and security based on defense, crisis prevention and management and cooperation.
"Russia's total occupation of Ukraine has destorted peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region and seriously damaged global security," NATO said, declaring that Russia "continues to be the most important and direct threat to the security of allies".
While there was no reference to the occupation operation carried out by Israel in Gaza, the statement said, 'The conflict, vulnerability and instability in Africa and the Middle East directly affect the security of us and our partners.'
Accusing Iran of influencing Euro-Atlantic security with "destabilizing" actions, NATO suggested that the declared goals and coercive policies of the People's Republic of China (PRC) continue to challenge NATO's interests, security and values.
'The empowering attempts between Russia and the PRC to undermine and reshape the deepening strategic partnership and rules-based international order are of deep concern,' the declaration said.
Saying that they cannot rule out the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Allied countries, NATO members announced that they will continue to develop NATO's deterrence and defense "against all threats and difficulties, in all areas and in multiple strategic directions in the Euro-Atlantic region".
Military coordination center established in Ukraine
"We once again confirm our unwavering solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who heroically defend their nations, their land and our common values," NATO said, while it decided to establish NATO Security Assistance and Training (NSATU) for Ukraine to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine by allies and their partners.
It is stated that the NSATU, which will operate in the Allied states, will "support Ukraine's self-defense in line with the UN Charter".
In the declaration, it is emphasized that NSATU will not 'make NATO a party to the conflict under international law' and says that it will support the transformation of Ukraine's defense and security forces and ensure further integration with NATO.'
The alliance countries, which argued that Ukraine's future was in NATO, suggested that Kiev was increasingly working together with NATO and becoming politically integrated.
While the support for Ukraine's NATO membership process was repeated, the condition of "fulfilling the conditions" came to the fore once again.
Russia calls to withdraw from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine
A call was also made to Russia to immediately stop the war and withdraw all its forces from Ukraine completely and unconditionally in line with the decisions of the UN General Assembly.
While NATO declared that Russia would never recognize the “illegal annexation” of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, it said, “We also call on Russia to withdraw all its forces deployed in the Republic of Moldova and Georgia [these countries] without their consent.”
Claiming that Russia is trying to 'fundamentally restructure' the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, NATO said, "The threat in all areas created by Russia for NATO will continue in the long term. Russia is rebuilding and expanding its military capabilities, continuing its airspace violations and provocative activities,” he said.
Arguing that it does not pose a threat to Russia, NATO also said it is ready to maintain communication channels with Moscow to reduce risks and prevent the escalation of tension.
Russia warnings to Belarus, Iran and KDHC
The NATO declaration, which called on all countries not to provide any aid to "Russian aggression", stated that it condemned "everyone who facilitated Russia's war in Ukraine and thus caused it to be prolonged".
'Belarus continues to enable this war by putting its lands and infrastructure into use,' NATO said, suggesting that Belarus' deepening its political and military integration with Russia had 'negative consequences in terms of regional stability and the defense of the Alliance'.
Arguing that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (KDHC) and Iran have fueled the war by providing direct military support to Russia, such as ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), NATO said that the KDHC "strongly condemns the export of artillery shells and ballistic missiles that violate numerous United Nations Security Council decisions" and noted that "the deepening ties between North Korea and Russia are of great concern".
'Iran's transfer of ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia will mean a serious escalation,' the declaration said.
China is on target
Arguing that China has "become a decisive supporter" of Russia in the Ukrainian war, NATO said, "This situation increases the threat it posed to Russia's neighbors and Euro-Atlantic security."
Calling on China to cut off all material and political support Russia has given to its war efforts, NATO said, "This includes the transfer of dual-use materials such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that constitute input to Russia's defense sector."
The head to Indo-Pacific will continue
“The Indo-Pacific region is important for NATO, because developments in this region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security,” NATO members said, who announced that they will meet with leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the European Union to discuss “common security issues and areas of cooperation.”
Emphasizing that NATO partners in Asia-Pacific have 'welcomed' their ongoing contributions to Euro-Atlantic security, NATO said, 'We strengthen dialogue to overcome interregional challenges and develop our practical cooperation, including pioneering projects in the fields of Ukraine's support, cyber defense, combating disinformation and technology.'
Contact office opens in Jordan
In the declaration, which described Middle Eastern countries as "NATO's southern neighbors", it was announced that the Secretary General was invited to appoint a Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood Region, which will serve as NATO's focus point in the region and coordinate NATO's efforts.
In this context, the member states also announced that they, together with the Kingdom of Jordan, agreed to open a NATO Contact Office in Amman.
'Based on the success of the NATO Iraq Mission (NMI) and at the request of the Iraqi authorities, we have expanded the scope of our support for Iraqi Security Institutions and we will continue our engagement through NMI,' NATO said.