The Uzbek and Russian officials are still in talks over the common terms agreement for the first nuclear power plant project in Uzbekistan, UzAtom said in a statement.
UzAtom made the statement in response to remarks by Russia's ambassador to Tashkent, Vladimir Tyurdenev.
Earlier, the Russian ambassador said that the nuclear plant deal was "virtually ready" with only the technical aspects remaining.
“Currently, the working groups set up by Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation are holding regular talks to discuss the terms of the common agreement on the nuclear plant project in Uzbekistan.
During negotiations of the deal, Uzbekistan’s position is based solely in its national interests, UzAtom added.
Currently, the parties are negotiating the ways to further enhance the security, reliability and economic efficiency of the project, as well as to bring the positions closer to Uzbekistan’s national interests.
In addition, in order to obtain a permit for the NPP’s site, a large-scale engineering research is being carried out on the priority site and a document has been developed to assess the environmental impact of the construction and operation of the NPP, which will be examined and publicized. Work is underway in accordance with the plan.
The results of engineering research carried out in cooperation with the Russian side on the selected site will serve as a basis for the agreement terms for the project, UzAtom noted.
The Russian ambassador Vladimir Tyurdenev recently said that Uzbekistan had ordered 1 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. However, this information has not yet been confirmed by official Tashkent.
According to the ambassador, Uzbekistan will use the 1 million doses to vaccinate citizens going to work in Russia. Russia has still not opened its borders for Uzbekistan nationals, which it did for the citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which are the members of the Eurasian Economic Union.
