Turkey, Russia sign nuclear cooperation deal

The Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) and Russia's Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (ROSTECHNADZOR) yesterday signed a nuclear cooperation deal at Istanbul's Ciragan Palace under the auspices of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The agreement, signed by Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and Russian Deputy Premier Igor Sechin, foresees the exchange of information and know-how on licensing nuclear facilities and activities. Under the deal, TAEK and ROSTECHNADZOR will cooperate in the areas of regulations for licensing and supervision, protection from radiation, management of the quality of nuclear facilities, radioactive fuels and fuel waste management, and safety regulations for nuclear/radioactive materials and radioactive waste, and finally emergency response and readiness training for supervisory personnel.