Nuclear facility in Armenia

By Choe Chong-dae

North Korea's recent nuclear missile threats are no longer imaginary. They are now real threats to South Korea as well as to neighboring countries.

The international community has been negotiating the decommissioning of nuclear facilities in North Korea and other countries. These efforts have been rife with periods of crisis, stalemates, and tentative progress towards denuclearization.

It is disheartening to learn from Hrant Bagratyan, a former prime minister of Armenia, that Armenia has created nuclear weaponry. His comments raise profound concern, as Armenia is technically at war with Azerbaijan over the territorial conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh.

As we are aware, in early April the two states actually fought a 4-day war, which resulted in a ceasefire, but skirmishes and tensions have persisted.

If Bagratyan's assertion is true, I am anxious that war in Nagorno-Karabakh might resume, especially over Azerbaijan's substantial and abundant resources.

Bagratyan's comments should not be taken lightly. There are substantiated revelations that Armenian citizens have played an instrumental role in smuggling nuclear and radioactive nuclear waste materials, as reflected in media reports exposing them. Many groups of Armenian citizens associated with the smuggling of radioactive materials were exposed many times in the territories of neighboring countries. Furthermore, some Armenian groups even tried to smuggle highly enriched uranium and cesium-137 from Armenia in 2003 and 2010. It is also known that three Armenian citizens who previously worked at Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) were arrested in Georgia this April for attempting to smuggle and illegally sell nuclear materials. One of the detainees was identified as a former associate of the Armenian secret service. This group planned to sell a quantity of uranium-238 costing $200 million to the Middle East.

The possibility of "dirty bombs" being made cannot be dismissed. The recent arrest was not the first. Arrests of Armenians who have crossed into neighboring Georgia have increased in the past years, causing alarm among nuclear non-proliferation experts in the US and elsewhere. Since proliferation conducted through illicit networks escapes the control of the supplier state, it is imperative to track and curtail these networks, not only because of the costs they impose, but also because of the deterrent value of counter smuggling efforts.

There is great nuclear security risk to the region regarding Metsamor NPP, especially in the context of the occupation of Azerbaijan territory by Armenia. The dubious condition of spent fuel and waste material from Metsamor NPP also raises safety concerns. Built in 1976, Metsamor NPP is based on technologies from Chernobyl NPP that ceased operations in 1988 due to a nuclear disaster. The operation of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in Armenia and the cases of smuggling of nuclear and radioactive materials from this NPP poses a nuclear threat to the entire region, and it also constitutes a serious threat and danger for the Korean investment in the region.

H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, delivered a speech at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on March 31-April 1, 2016. His speech drew great attention from the international community to Metsamor NPP and called on nations to take measures against the threat emanating from this facility.

We urge that the International Atomic Energy Agency and global community assess and exercise strict control of the systematic cases of smuggling of radioactive materials arranged by Armenia. Threats of the use of nuclear weapons by Armenian officials who are obsessed with revenge against Azerbaijan are unnerving. If Armenia and North Korea continue to pursue their nuclear weapon ambitions and smuggling of nuclear materials, we will all face hastening self-destruction.

Choe Chong-dae is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and Director of the Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at dkic98@chol.com.

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