Erdogan: Putin may visit Turkey in April for inauguration of power plant

Erdogan: Putin may visit Turkey in April for inauguration of power plant
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Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit Turkey on April 27 for the inauguration of the country's first nuclear reactor, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin may visit Turkey on April 27 to inaugurate the country's first nuclear reactor, built by Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom.

"Maybe there is a possibility that Mr Putin will come on April 27, or we may connect to the inauguration ceremony online and we will take the first step in Akkuyu," Erdogan said in televised comments on private broadcaster ATV.

Turkey will load the first nuclear fuel into the first unit of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant and officially grant it nuclear status on April 27, Erdogan said in an earlier announcement Wednesday.

The Kremlin on Monday denied Turkish reports that Putin was planning a visit to Turkey.

The Kremlin said on Saturday that Putin and Erdogan discussed in a telephone conversation the successful implementation of joint strategic projects in the energy sector, including the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

The $20 billion project to build four reactors with a capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW) in the Mediterranean city of Akkuyu will allow Turkey to join the small club of nations with civilian nuclear energy.

Turkey had previously announced its intention to commission the first reactor in Akkuyu in 2023.

Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, sparking outrage in the Kremlin. Turkey, however, is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC.