On 19 January, the Armenian parliament ratified the agreement on information interaction between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on the movement of radioactive sources, reported arka.am.

According to the country’s Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Hakob Vardanyan the agreement promotes the exchange of information in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy and radiation safety, reducing the negative impact on the environment. He stressed the importance of introducing a procedure for the classification of radioactive sources and an accounting system to facilitate their safe use, prevent illegal traffic and theft. For this, he said, a national register with appropriate software, including for data protection, would be installed.

The agreement, in his words, would strengthen cooperation between the competent authorities of Armenia and the CIS member states, and will contribute to increasing the level of safety in the field of nuclear energy. As an example, he noted that almost every year Armenia buys equipment for the nuclear power plant, which contain radioactive substances, for example isotopes, and the customs authorities find out about this only at the border. The agreement, he said, would allow notifying all structures in advance, which will also speed up the necessary procedures. Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine remain the only CIS countries who did not sign this agreement. 

Speaking on the occasion, the parliamentary deputy of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction Mikael Melkumyan said that Armenia should consider all the possibilities of using spent nuclear fuel (SNF). “This is a difficult process, but perhaps at some stage there will be few alternatives and this will become one of our security guarantees. However, the implementation of this initiative will require a lot of efforts, including permits and procedures from the IAEA, if we choose this direction,” he said.

Melkumyan also said that Russia is ready to import the spent nuclear fuel from Armenia with pleasure. But, according to him, spent nuclear fuel should be left in Armenia and after studying all possible options for its use, it will be possible to consider its export to Russia. Vardanyan in return noted that after the restart of the Armenian nuclear power plant in 1995, radioactive waste was not exported outside the country and was placed in an appropriate storage container. Earlier, Vardanyan stated that a country that sets itself such ambitious goals as the enrichment of spent nuclear fuel must have the appropriate infrastructure and large scientific centers.

It should be noted that a week earlier the Armenian parliament discussed the issue of using nuclear fuel for military purposes (Caucasus Watch reported).