Armenia represents real nuclear threat for region

/By Azernews/

By Gunay Camal

Armenia may be planning to spray nuclear waste from its Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant over the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in a horrific “dirty bomb” attack, Adil Garibov has warned.

The chairman of the National Nuclear Research Center said the threat recently voiced by Ex-Prime Minister of Armenia Grant Bagratyan that Armenia can use a nuclear bomb against Azerbaijan can be too real taking into account the Metsamor NPP.

“Nuclear fuel is kept in special pools, and its use is controlled directly by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Armenia is unlikely will be able to use this fuel for other purposes, as a hot laboratory and specialized robotic technology are needed for its processing.

However, there is no guarantee that Armenia does not use radioactive wastes for its dirty plans - the creation of radiological weapons or spraying of waste in the occupied areas, which sooner or later will be returned to Azerbaijan,” Garibov said.

The Metsamor NPP, which has been operating in Armenia for several decades, remains a time bomb, sparking many debates. Ecologists have long been concerned that the Armenian authorities refuse to close the outdated Metsamor NPP, any catastrophe at which could kill thousands in Armenia itself, and the whole region.

The plant poses a danger for the countries of the region and Armenia has been warned on numerous occasions to close it to minimize potential risk. A strong earthquake that occurred in 2011 in the Turkish province of Van, reminded the world of the dangers of the Armenian NPP. However, the facts and constant criticism could not force Armenia to view the situation realistically.

Metsamor accumulated financial liabilities of 9-9.5 billion drams ($23.3 million), but the amount rapidly increased in the past few years as a result of the ineffective management of foreign loans and credits. So, Armenian side's arguments that the Metsamor NPP’s activity has an economic component and is aimed at power generation are nothing more than twaddle.

Radioactive waste is used to create chemical weapons. Therefore, Armenia will never agree to close the NPP, even if the world community requires this, the National Nuclear Research Center believes.

Experts say if Armenia’s reactor is not only a safety threat, but potentially a source of radioactive material for a “dirty” bomb. Several times Armenian ex-Metsamor employees smuggling the nuclear material have been caught, which raised concerns of the regional states.

Nuclear-grade materials that are the highly radioactive U-238 can be used to produce a myriad of deadly and destructive apparatuses, not the least of which is a dreaded “dirty bomb.”

Armenia's nuclear material could be used to arm a dirty bomb, Alexander Murinson, senior fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center and Bar Ilan University, recently wrote in an article published in Washington Times.

“The specter of a dirty bomb is of paramount concern for security services and counterterrorism officials worldwide. Internationally, the deep alarm of officials associated with the discovery of U-238 was compounded earlier this year when a group of individuals was discovered attempting to smuggle Cesium-137, a highly radioactive isotope that is a waste product from nuclear reactors,” he wrote.

"This adds much credence to constant complaints by Azerbaijan related to the fact that the territory under separatist control, such as Nagorno-Karabakh, is being used for all manner of illegal smuggling from nuclear material to arms to narcotics," the article said.

"To substantially add to the threat emanating from Armenian nationals and Armenia is the presence in Armenia of an outdated Chernobyl-type nuclear reactor operating long past its original planned lifetime," the article said. "This, when taken with the news from Georgia, elevates the nuclear alarm to a new level."