Knowledge from Pakistan, Uranium Manager: Is Turkey on the Road to Nuclear Weapons?

Turkey operates throughout the 21 years of Recep Tayyip ARadwan to expand the influence on African countries. The establishment of the TV channel “TRT Africa” ​​of the Turkish Public Broadcasting Corporation that broadcasts in Swahili, the deployment of military forces in Somalia and the approach to Niger after the coup that took place there,Only a part of Ankara’s basket of actions. Therefore, the right-wing conservative newspaper “Türkiye” dealt with the desire of the Erdogan regime to present a “firm” nuclear position.

First, nuclear weapons are stationed in Turkey. Since 1959, a NATO agreement has resulted in the permanent stationing of American nuclear weapons at the Incirlik base in Adana. Of the 3,708 active US nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), about 24 are stationed in Turkey. For their activation, there are codes entrusted to American and Turkish officers.

Beyond that, Turkey often engages in the nuclear field of other countries in the region. In November, for example, Erdogan said that “Turkey will leave the Israeli nuclear weapons” in the world’s attention. According to the Stockholm Institute for Peace Studies, Israel possesses 90 nuclear warheads. At the same time, Ankara is not happy to see the Iranian nuclear programYou are progressing. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran has recently accumulated 22.6 kg of uranium enriched to 60% – and in total possesses 164.7 kg. The organization estimates that Tehran is only 2 kg short of reaching the theoretical amount, which if You will be enriched more, you will have enough for four nuclear bombs.

Turkey itself has an active nuclear program, even if at the moment it is not necessarily engaged in military nuclear. As part of the close relationship between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in 2018 the construction of the “Akoyo” nuclear power plant in the province of Mersin began. In accordance with the $25 billion contract that Ankara signed with “Rosatom”, the Russian nuclear corporation, the nuclear power plant will be operated for 20 years, which, starting in 2028, is intended to supply Turkey with about 10% of the local electricity consumption. Already today, Turkey is planning, as part of the local nuclear program, the construction of additional power plants in Sinop on the Black Sea and on the outskirts of Istanbul.

Nuclear energy is currently the source of about 10% of global electricity production. According to the International Nuclear Association, the leading countries in electricity production from nuclear energy are the USA (772.2 terawatt hours), China (395.4 terawatt hours) and France (282.1 terawatt hours). In terms of facilities whose construction began in 2023, China stands at the forefront with five facilities with a total capacity of about 6,245 megawatts. In general, 416 nuclear production units are deployed in 32 countries, with 30 new ones developing their own nuclear programs.

Progress in Turkey’s nuclear program – “only a matter of time”

As part of the policy of Turkey, which perceives itself as a world power, the nuclear issue is also reflected. Erdogan’s policy is that “the world is bigger than five”, meaning the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: USA, Russia, China, France and Great Britain. At the same time, these are the five countries that are at the top of the table of nuclear warheads. Turkey has previously approached each of them to assist it in developing its domestic nuclear program, but only Russia has come forward. “Ankara believes that technology will help them get a permanent seat in the Security Council,” the right-wing Turkish newspaper notes.

Russian aid is limited to Moscow’s interests, so in Turkey they strive for independence. A close friend of Ankara with 170 nuclear warheads is Pakistan. This relationship was the reason why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to include Turkey in the IMEC corridor plan, presented last year by US President Joe Biden from Greece, through Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – to India. Also, until the coup in Nice was the backward country that produces 5% of all the uranium in the world, also the supplier of 25% of the uranium consumption of the European Union. And finally, Somalia, which has many uninhabited territories, is already dependent on Turkey in all areas of life: security, economy. and a friend.

Therefore, in “Turkey” they come and say that as tensions in the region increase and Russia and Israel, according to foreign publications, possess nuclear weapons while Iran is considering the move, “it is only a matter of time until we hear about progress in Turkey’s nuclear program.” According to them, “Niger with its high-quality uranium, Somalia with its access to the Indian Ocean and Pakistan, the most likely candidate for the transfer of technology”, are the ones that may help.