ASTANA, July 25. /TASS/. Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom continues cooperation with Vietnam in the nuclear power sector, despite the fact that the project on construction of a nuclear power plant in the country has been suspended, Alexander Merten, President of Rusatom International Network (RIN), said in an interview with TASS.

"At this stage we are cooperating in the area of establishing a Center for nuclear science and technologies in Vietnam in accordance with a cooperation agreement signed in 2011. The memorandum of understanding on the implementation plan for the project was signed two weeks ago - on June 29 in Moscow," Merten said. "Also, we have participated in setting up an information center in the nuclear power sector, which aims at raising awareness in the area of nuclear energy and nuclear technologies, which we hope will become a background for Vietnam's returning to the (understanding) of the necessity to construct a nuclear power station," he added.

In late 2016, Vietnam abandoned the idea of implementing the nuclear energy development plan due to its high cost and the recent decline in prices for traditional energy resources. In particular, the country made a decision to suspend two nuclear power plant projects which involved Russia and Japan.

At the time, Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation said that it understood Vietnam’s position and expressed readiness to provide every possible assistance to the country when it was ready to restart the implementation of the national nuclear program.