IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei visited Ankara in July 2006, telling officials at the headquarters of Türkiye's Atomic Energy Institute (TAEK) that the country was fully compliant with the agency's safety standards.
ElBaradei noted that nuclear energy's share of global electricity production had grown significantly over the past five decades, with 441 reactors operating across 30 countries and generating roughly 16 percent of the world's electricity. He acknowledged that nuclear plants, like all energy sources, carry inherent risks, and he pointed to the 1986 Chernobyl accident as a tragedy that paradoxically drove major improvements in international safety culture.
On Iran, ElBaradei said Türkiye could serve as an influential voice in persuading Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment and accept international inspections. He warned that Iran pressing forward with enrichment risked triggering a regional nuclear arms race, and he called on Tehran to voluntarily pause enrichment activities while demonstrating the peaceful nature of its program.
Outside TAEK headquarters, a small group of Greenpeace activists, dressed as nuclear bombs and handcuffed together, staged a protest against ElBaradei and the IAEA, displaying a banner opposing nuclear energy.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.