CAIRO — Algeria and Russia plan to launch nuclear cooperation.
Officials said Algiers and Moscow have agreed to cooperate in the area
of nuclear energy. They said Russia offered to help construct nuclear
facilities and train Algerian scientists and technicians.
The agreement was reported on Jan. 22 during a visit to Algiers by
Russian Energy Minister Victor Khristenko. The two countries also signed an
energy memorandum of understanding during Khristenko's visit, Middle East Newsline reported.
Over the last year, officials said, Algeria and Russia have agreed to
bolster strategic relations. In March 2006, the two countries reached
agreement on the sale of up to $7.5 billion of Russian
weapons to Algiers.
The defense deal was designed to be financed by Russian energy projects
in Algeria. Algeria and Russia have agreed to coordinate exploration,
production and marketing of natural gas.
"The [Russian] minister expressed satisfaction that Algeria and Russia
agreed on the principle of future development of cooperation in the field of
nuclear energy," an Algerian government statement said.
Algeria has been regarded as the most advanced nuclear state in North
Africa. Algiers has been operating two experimental nuclear reactors since
1995 under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. But Western
diplomats said the IAEA has suspected that Algeria was conducting secret
nuclear experiments.
"We have agreed within the framework of the memorandum to begin contacts
between experts in the two countries to study the possibilities of bilateral
cooperation and to determine the areas of
possible cooperation in this [nuclear] context and I hope that we can begin
this work soon," Khristenko said.
