Russia has prospects for growing cooperation in Asia, Middle East: Rosatom head

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia has prospects to grow its cooperation with Asian and Middle Eastern countries, the head of the country’s nuclear power company Rosatom said on Monday.

“Of course, the potential for growth in the energy sector in general, and especially in the nuclear industry, is in Asia, in the Middle East, and they just want our technologies and our supplies. In this sense, we, of course, are increasing production and will consolidate our leadership,” Alexey Likhachev said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to a transcript released by the Kremlin, Likhachev thanked Putin for his support in the company’s acquisition of the Budyonovskoye uranium deposit in Kazakhstan, saying that as a result, Rosatom became the company with the second largest uranium reserves.

He further said that Rosatom has slightly increased its deliveries to foreign countries, especially “friendly countries.”

“These are the countries of Asia, the People's Republic of China, Middle East, Africa. There we have up to 60-70% growth in various types of supplies to the nuclear fuel cycle,” he said.

Likhachev also said that these countries are being subject to “colossal pressure” both in the political and economic sense.

“Of course, being at the current point, Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin), we do not see any special prospects for growth in the European market, and not only because there is an unfriendly attitude towards us, but because there is no growth potential there,” he added.