Earlier in the day, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging Ankara to abandon its plans to build Turkey's first Akkuyu NPP, claiming that its location in the region prone to severe earthquakes poses a threat to the whole Mediterranean region.
"The European Union is trying to meddle into bilateral relations between Russia and Turkey at the moment by putting this resolution [on the Akkuyu NPP]. We know that strengthening of Turkey’s ties with Russia is seen as a threat by the European Union," Yilmaz said.
Using the language of threats and economic sanctions is not helpful, Yilmaz stressed.
"We have seen that sanctions imposed on Russia, Iran and other countries are counterproductive and damage people rather than governments," Yilmaz added.
The intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of construction and operation of the Akkuyu NPP in southern Turkey was signed by Moscow and Ankara in May 2010. The NPP’s four power units of 1,200 megawatt (MW) each are expected to produce about 35 billion kilowatt-hours per year. The total amount of Russian investments in the project will be $22 billion.
Akkuyu is the world's first nuclear power plant project implemented on BOO ("build-own-operate") basis. In accordance with this model, Russia will build, own and operate the plant.
