Turkish environment minister says calling off nuclear power plant not to save Turkey from nuclear danger

ANKARA (A.A) - 17.03.2011 - The Turkish environment minister said on Thursday that Turkey would not be able to avoid the risk of nuclear fallout even if it called off its decision to build a nuclear power plant as its neighbor Armenia had old nuclear plants very close to its border with Turkey.
During his visit to the Presidency of Religious Affairs in capital Ankara, Turkish Environment & Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu commented on the explosions in a nuclear power plant in Japan after the recent earthquake disaster that hit the country.
"Everything has certain risks. Nothing is risk-free. The important thing is to minimize such risks," he said.
"Let us presume that Turkey did not build a nuclear power plant. What about the old and outdated nuclear power plants located in Armenia only 26 km away from our border? Would Turkey be able to avoid the risk of nuclear fallout although it does not construct a nuclear power plant?," the minister noted.
Eroglu also said that choosing the most advanced technology and implementing it with minimum risk should be the primary steps.