Russia, Kazakhstan agree to set up joint uranium enrichment center

Russia and Kazakhstan Thursday agreed to create a joint uranium enrichment center, which will supply nuclear fuel to third countries to generate energy.

According to reports from the Interfax news agency, Energy ministers from both countries inked the agreement during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Putin said that the signing of the agreement is the first step in the construction of international atomic energy infrastructure.

Russian Atomic Energy Minister Sergei Kiriyenko said the signing of the agreement now means work can begin on the uranium enrichment center.

According to Kiriyenko, the center will mainly rely on the production of a facility in the eastern Siberian city of Angarsk at its initial stage, which would be under the supervision of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Several countries have expressed interest in buying the finished product from the center, he said.

The Russian minister added that Russia and Kazakhstan will set up their fifth joint uranium exploitation firm in the near future.

Putin said that Russia and Kazakhstan still share great perspectives in nuclear energy cooperation, which will benefit both countries' economic development.

Kazakhstan and Russia boast the world's second and third largest uranium reserves, which are respectively 1 million and 0.8 million tons.

Source: Xinhua