Turkiye has upgraded to the league of nuclear power countries with the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on April 27, 2023.

“Our country has been promoted to the league of nuclear power countries after a 60-year delay,” Erdoğan said, addressing the Akkuyu NPP First Nuclear Fuel Delivery Ceremony.

Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, addressed the ceremony via teleconference.

The NPP officially became a nuclear power facility with the delivery of the first fresh nuclear fuel on the plant site, the president said.

“With the delivery of nuclear fuels coming by air and sea to our power plant, Akkuyu has now gained the identity of a nuclear facility,” Erdoğan stated.

The power plant, built by Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom, is “the biggest joint investment” between Türkiye and Russia, the president emphasized.

In light of the experience in Akkuyu, Türkiye will act as soon as possible for the second and third nuclear power plants of the country, he stated.

The project will contribute $1.5 billion annually to the decrease in our natural gas imports, and will also have a positive impact on the increase in Türkiye’s national income, the president emphasized.

“Like many important projects, Akkuyu is implemented with a financing model that does not burden our national budget,” he said.

Putin, for his part, said Akkuyu is one of the most prominent partnerships between Türkiye and Russia in their bilateral history. The project is based on the mutual interests of the two countries and reinforces the partnership, he emphasized.

Russia is not merely building a nuclear power plant, but a new nuclear industry and economic field is being established in Türkiye thanks to Akkuyu, Putin stated.

Putin said that in a phone conversation with Erdoğan, they discussed enhancing bilateral ties in economy and trade, noting that they agreed to increase the number of flights between Türkiye and Russia over the increasing number of Russians to the country.

Moscow also aims to support Türkiye’s infrastructure constructions launched after the Feb. 6 earthquakes, the Russian leader said.

“Russia will continue to meet Türkiye’s energy needs, particularly on the issue of natural gas,” Putin said.