Demonstrators protest against Akkuyu nuclear power plant outside Russian embassy

The Cyprus Greens – Citizens’ Cooperation held a symbolic protest outside the Russian embassy on Sunday morning against the construction of a nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, Turkey by a Russian company.

The protest took place in line with World Environment Day.

The construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the province of Mersin is being undertaken by the Russian state company Rosatom, and the decision to build it was taken after Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an agreement in 2010.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought back memories of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was at the centre of Russian operations against Kyiv, while the possibility of the Zaporiya nuclear power plant being hit has caused great concern among the world,” the Cyprus Greens said in a press release.

The first reactor at Akkuyu is scheduled to be commissioned in 2023, when the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey will be celebrated.

According to the press release, the construction of the nuclear power plant in Akkuyu is Russia’s largest energy investment abroad.

“We call on Russia to end its nuclear agreement with Erdogan and to stop the war in Ukraine, which threatens humanity with a nuclear nightmare. We call on the EU to include in its sanctions for the war in Ukraine and Rosatom and the construction projects it has undertaken in Turkey, Egypt, etc.,” it concluded.