Serzh Sargsyan Signed, Nikol Pashinyan Is Implementing: Who Undertook the Obligation to Shut Down the NPP?
Yesterday, Nikol Pashinyan stated that it was Serzh Sargsyan who had undertaken the obligation to close the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Metsamor. In response, Armen Ashotyan rejected this claim, arguing that Serzh Sargsyan had assumed no such commitment and that the matter is merely referenced in CEPA as the closure of the NPP upon the expiry of its service life.
However, no such standard exists in international practice: nuclear power plants are not automatically shut down once their initial service period expires; rather, they are modernized in order to extend their operational lifespan.
More precisely, in this instance even Nikol — who is often accused of lying — is not the one distorting the facts; it is Armen Ashotyan who is doing so, in an attempt to salvage Serzh Sargsyan’s damaged approval rating.
Let us turn to the facts.
Article 42 of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) states:
«... the closure and safe decommissioning of Medzamor nuclear power plant and the early adoption of a road map or action plan to that effect, taking into consideration the need for its replacement with new capacity to ensure the energy security of the Republic of Armenia and conditions for sustainable development».
According to the official website eu.armenia.am, the “safe deactivation of the Medzamor NPP and planning for replacement capacity” was to be carried out by 2024.
These facts, together with the overall logic of CEPA as adopted under Serzh Sargsyan, point toward serious consequences for the Republic of Armenia.
We will address other provisions of CEPA and Serzh Sargsyan’s destructive impact on the country’s future separately.
Returning to CEPA’s provisions on the NPP, it should come as no surprise that this framework is presented in technical language. At the time, the issue of shutting down the nuclear power plant was placed on the agenda under the pretext of “environmental risk,” with the support of the authorities and figures such as Khachik Stamboltsyan, resulting in the dark and cold years of the 1990s.
The CEPA signed by Serzh Sargsyan in 2017 is portrayed as an economic agreement, yet it is argued to be a strategic instrument that shapes Armenia’s long-term energy and political orientation, with the ultimate objective of pushing Russia out of the region and leaving it to Turkey.
Basic logic suggests a significant discrepancy between CEPA’s requirements and practical realities.
The process of closing the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, framed as a technical and environmental matter, is concealing deeper political, strategic, and international interests.
It is obvious that the obligation to close the NPP, as outlined in CEPA, is gradually undermining Armenia’s unity and, ultimately, the state itself.
Nikol Pashinyan can be blamed for all this, but Serzh Sargsyan should be the prior target, as it is his signature under the CEPA and it was he who has jeopardized our future for his own gain and to preserve his offshore accounts.
