UNITED NATIONS, April 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan understand that their meeting will be important, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters during his visit to New York on Tuesday.
When asked about the possibility of a meeting between the two presidents on April 27, when nuclear fuel will be delivered to Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Lavrov said: "I assume that the presidents have the understanding that a meeting of this kind will be important."
Erdogan told the TRT television on April 19 that Putin will participate in the ceremony via a video linkup.
The Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant to be built in Turkey. The project is being implemented in accordance with the inter-governmental agreement signed by Russia and Turkey in 2010. The power plant will include four Russian-designed VVER generation 3+ reactors. Each reactor’s power output will be 1,200 MWt. Once commissioned and brought to full capacity, the NPP will produce about 35 billion kWh every year. The plant is designed to provide up to 10% of Turkey's electricity needs. The construction of the first nuclear power unit is planned to be completed this year.
The facility will be operated by a large number of local specialists, who were trained or continue to be trained in Russia.