The memorandum of understanding between the Kuwait National Nuclear Energy Committee and Russia's Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation was signed in Vienna on the sidelines of the 54th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Robsbalt news agency reported Wednesday.

Earlier this month Kuwait signed a similar agreement with Japan, along with an April memorandum with France.

Kuwait state media quoted Ahmad Bishara, the secretary general of Kuwait's National Nuclear Energy Committee as saying, "The memo ... stipulated training cadres, exploration for metals, establishing a network of nuclear reactors in Kuwait and building a relevant infrastructure."

Earlier this month Kuwait announced that it intends to construct four 1,000-megawatt atomic energy reactors over the next decade. Kuwait is currently the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, while Russia is tied with Saudi Arabia for first place.

Rosatom Director General Sergey Kirienko said that Russia stands ready to assist Kuwait in all aspects of developing its civil nuclear power program, not only in the construction of nuclear power stations, but exploration and mining of uranium, training of personnel and research.

The MoU will also cover nuclear medicine and the nuclear fuel cycle. Kirienko said, "We in Russia are developing the atomic energy sector on a wide scale and we welcome Kuwait's plans to develop it, too."

Kirienko added that Russia is actively cooperating with several states in the Middle East, with Rosatom bidding to build a nuclear power plant in Jordan along with submitting a tender to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt. Rosatom has also signed an intergovernmental civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Bahrain and is actively developing its nuclear cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.

Russia is also increasing its nuclear energy footprint in Turkey. Rosatom Deputy Director General for Finance and Economics Nikolai Solomon, speaking at the World Nuclear Association's annual symposium in London last week, said Russia was pressing on with a multibillion-dollar deal on a build-own-operate agreement with Ankara to build the country's first nuclear power plant at Akkuyu near the country's Mediterranean coast.

Under the BOO arrangement Russia's Atomstroiekhsport will own 100 percent of the Akkuyu project, owning, operating and maintaining the facility and selling its electrical output under a deal with the Turkish government to guarantee plant's power supply for a 15-20 year period.

The Akkuyu nuclear power plant will be Russia's first built and owned foreign power plant, with construction expected to take several years.

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