Russia remains open for cooperation with Sri Lanka in the development of nuclear energy, but will not impose anything in this regard since it is the sovereign right of the country, Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan said.
In response to a question during an interaction with the press, the Ambassador on Thursday said he is seeking a meeting with the Sri Lankan Energy Minister to discuss the proposal for the setting up of a nuclear power plant.
“The ball is in your court, as I always say,” he said.
Sri Lanka has proposed nuclear power in its energy mix, both under the previous and current governments. The previous government even proposed to build three nuclear plants of 900 megawatts.
Earlier, he put forward the idea during his visit last year, when he met the Energy Minister and senior Foreign Ministry officials of the last government after prior consultations with top executives of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear agency.
It was a concept that involved setting up a small nuclear power facility with an initial capacity of 110 megawatts—two units of 55 megawatts each—while leaving open the option of expanding to as many as six units, depending on demand.
Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine war, he said Russia appreciates Sri Lanka’s neutral position despite pressure from the Western powers. The Ambassador said that no force could defeat Russia in this war.