PRESENTATION OF "NUCLEAR POWER: MYTHS AND LEGENDS" BY GERD ROSENCRANZ HELD IN YEREVAN

ARKA
March 20, 2008

YEREVAN, March 20. /ARKA/. The presentation of "Nuclear Power: Myths
and Legends", the book of German scientist Gerd Rosencranz has been
held in Yerevan.

"The book is considering philosophic issues, as well as some aspects
that need to be globally discussed by "elite’ experts," Armenia’s
Deputy Minister of Energy Areg Galstian said.

In his turn, academician-secretary of the Department of Physics and
Astrophysics of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences Yury Simonian
said that development of civilization and scientific and technical
progress requires development of energy sector and nuclear fusion
issues in particular. He stressed that guidelines of different
countries in energy policy are different both in the status and
in prospects.

Simonian stressed the importance of views of not only engineers,
physicists, chemists, but also legal experts and politicians on
the issue as nuclear energy is considered within a complex of
multidisciplinary issues.

Academician Yury Chilingarian expressed confidence that no alternative
exists of development of nuclear energy in Armenia and said that the
necessity to build a second nuclear power unit in Armenia is out of
question. Yet, Director of Heinrich Bolle Foundation in South Caucasus
Walter Kaufman disagreed with Chilingarian on the need to develop the
nuclear energy sector in the country saying that if Armenia considers
these issues "out of question", then it is behind the world level as
in all countries where nuclear power is still used, these issues are
being intensely discussed.

Among participants of the event are expected to be the author of
the book himself, Armenia’s First Deputy Minister of Environment
Simon Papian, expert Suren Azatian, Director of CANDLE project Vasily
Tsakanov, Head of Chair of Theoretical Physics of Armenian’s National
Academy of Sciences Eduard Chubarian, the Head of State Inspectorate on
Nuclear Safety of Environment Ministry Ashot Martirosian. International
and non-government organizations have also participated in the
discussion. The event is held by Heinrich Bolle Foundation together
with "Ecolur" information NGO with assistance of Armenian National
Academy of Sciences.