MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/: The recent earthquake in Turkey did not provoke serious threats to the implementation of joint infrastructure projects of Moscow and Ankara, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters on Wednesday.
"The construction of the Akkuyu NPP is now underway. Our representatives provide real-time information about the construction. So far, we proceed from the fact that there are no serious threats to the implementation of the agreed infrastructure projects," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
Nevertheless, he noted that "the scale [of the disaster] is large, of course, it will have some consequences."
"As for energy cooperation between Russia and Turkey, it is developing in accordance with the plans that were approved and agreed upon at the highest level," Grushko said.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey on Monday night. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in ten provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria. The Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Tartus and Hama, situated in the west and north-west of the country, were hit the hardest. The latest reports say that over than 8,500 people were killed in Turkey. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, there are more than 1,200 casualties as a result of the earthquake, with the number of injured exceeding 2,200.
