Azernews.Az

By Kiymet Sezer

U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago has stated that they are working closely with Turkey on green energy technologies, Yeni Shafak daily has reported.

Lago made the remarks during the Ankara discussions on the Turkey-US Strategic Mechanism in the fields of trade, climate change, and energy security.

“I look forward to further cooperation in the field of energy security in the near future,” Lago said.

She attended the Eurasia Small Modular Reactors Forum in Ankara on April 5-6 as part of her visit to Turkey to deepen cooperation in the Strategic Mechanism's economic and commercial dimensions.

In the light of the growing Russia-Ukraine tensions, Lago's first statement on bilateral relations focused on energy security and climate change solutions.

Lago spoke at the forum, which was attended by Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and deputy ministers from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

She highlighted that the U.S, as a world leader, is committed to combating climate change and advancing diversified clean energy generation via small modular reactor technologies.

Lago emphasized Turkey's recent achievements in energy security, stating that the country has become a pioneer in the development of renewable energy sources and that they work closely with Turkey on green energy technologies.

The Turkey-U.S. Strategic Mechanism's initial studies on bilateral trade, which were announced with a joint statement issued during U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland's visit to Ankara, were completed on April 6.

As a part of her visit, Lago also met Deputy Commerce Minister Mustafa Tuzcu to discuss the steps to be taken to increase the trade volume between the two countries to $100 billion.

The establishment of the Turkey-U.S. Strategic Mechanism was decided during a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in Rome in October in 2021.

During the meeting, the sides agreed that a multifaceted mechanism should be developed to handle the different aspects of the Turkey-U.S. cooperation.

The first chapter of the strategic mechanism was initiated at the level of the under secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and Turkey's deputy commerce minister.

In the upcoming period, it is expected that mutual mechanisms will operate on many topics, especially security, defence, trade, counter-terrorism and regional issues.

The Eurasia Small Modular Reactor Forum, hosted by the U.S. government and led by the International Trade Administration, aims to educate the region's countries on the benefits of small modular reactor technologies.

The benefits of innovative, clean, and green energy are discussed, and solutions offered by the U.S. private sector are introduced, as part of the Forum titled "SMR (Small Modular Reactor) Sustainable Energy Strategies in the United States, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan."

SMR technology offers safe, clean and affordable nuclear energy options, and stands out for its price advantages. Moreover, the technology can be installed in locations, which are not suitable for larger nuclear power plants.

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