BRATISLAVA, Slovakia
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Turkey is focusing on petroleum and natural gas research, as well as nuclear energy.
"We have two studies about nuclear energy; one in the south and one in the north of Turkey," Erdogan said during a speech at the Turkey-Slovakia business forum. "These will take seven or eight years to be active."
Erdogan also said that Turkey's energy needs are increasing.
"Without destroying natural resources, we will make the best of our opportunities," he said.
The president added that the two nuclear power plants will have the strength of 9,500 megawatts.
Turkey and Russia's state-run atomic energy corporation Rosatom will build Turkey's first nuclear power plant on the Mediterranean coast, which will cost $22 billion and become fully operational in 2023.
"Our aim is to increase the share of nuclear resources in the country's total production rate to 20 percent," Erdogan said.
Erdogan also mentioned that Turkish investors' total investment in Slovakia is $31 million, while Slovakian investors only invested $14 million in Turkey.
"We need to take these numbers to a level that reflects the brotherly relations of our countries," he said.
Erdogan met with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico and Peter Pellegrini, the head of the National Council of Slovakia.
The Turkish president will then head to Romania with First Lady Emine Erdogan, EU Minister Volkan Bozkir, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci and Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Veysel Eroglu.
Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz will part ways from the delegation and return to Turkey after a major power outage hit the country on Tuesday.
