Iran, EU join hands to build nuclear safety center

Iran said on Saturday that it will start building an advanced nuclear safety center in cooperation with the European Union in the near future, Press TV reported.

The nuclear safety center would extend services to regional countries as well, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in a joint press conference with visiting European Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete.

On April 18, Iran and the European Commission signed the 2.5-million-euro (2.73 million U.S. dollars) project, which aims at improving the capabilities of the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority by preparing feasibility study for the nuclear safety center.

According to Salehi, three rounds of talks with the EU commissioner have been held since 2015 and "very good achievements" have been made.

Iran and the EU also plan to set up a roadmap based on The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and use its facilities in nuclear research and development, he said.

The Euratom is an international organization founded in 1957 with the purpose of creating a specialist market for nuclear power in Europe, developing nuclear energy and distributing it to its member states while selling the surplus to non-member states.

Iran and the EU would draw up a five-year plan for bilateral cooperation, Salehi said, adding that the bloc would "most likely" supply 20 million euros of credit for the projects to be carried out in Iran. Endit