Rafael Arutiunian, First Deputy Director of Nuclear Safety Institute

– Any state must have nuclear power plants as they are crucial for development

During the enlarged Russian-Italian consultations that took place in the Kremlin on Nov 6 2008 under the chairmanship of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, the Ministry of Economic Development of Italy and Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation signed a declaration of intention t cooperate in the field of nuclear and thermal power engineering.

The signing of the declaration has proved once again that Italy has reviewed its attitude towards nuclear energy and is even planning to build a new nuclear power plant. This document has put an end to the many years’ moratorium on nuclear energy.

Any state must have nuclear power plants as they are crucial for development. Many countries are beginning to realize this. Particularly, Italy is searching for reliable partners for restoring its lost positions on the market and has opted for Russia as one of the leaders in the sphere.

People worldwide are beginning to realize that oil and gas will not suffice them for long and that they must do something to solve the problem of climate change. People no longer fear nuclear energy. So, it is obvious that nuclear power engineering will be developed worldwide and the nuclear technologies market will grow. This is an excellent opportunity for international cooperation. Lots of new countries will enter this market and Italy is one of them.