“I don’t know who will be hit more tangibly by these sanctions – Russia or Europe?
For our part, we fully retain our participation in European projects and comply with all our obligations.
And we think that our European colleagues will also follow the rules.
But if they still take irreversible steps, it will be very sad from the point of view of violating world harmony, ”said Kovalchuk.
According to him, science, like culture, has always served to preserve unity, gave the world the opportunity to resurrect after upheavals.
“Therefore, I hope for the understanding and the right attitude of our European, American, Japanese and other foreign colleagues.
I hope that the level of cooperation we have reached will not be destroyed.
But even if this happens, we are ready for it.
In Russia, by presidential decrees, a large-scale program has been launched to create a unique mega-science infrastructure for breakthrough research,” Kovalchuk noted.
He recalled that currently the largest mega-installations that have no analogues in the world are being created in the Far East, on Russky Island, a powerful Kurchatov synchrotron radiation source (KISI-Kurchatov) is operating in Moscow, and a high-flux research nuclear reactor PIK is operating near St. having analogues in the world.
“An agreement was also signed on the entry of Belarus into this project, we are also discussing the participation of Uzbekistan and other CIS countries in it.
In addition, Russia has always had close scientific ties with India and China.
For example, in Soviet times we built an institute of nuclear physics in India, as well as a source of synchrotron radiation.
The Kurchatov Institute at one time created a tokamak-type installation for China.
That is, our cooperation has deep roots and a long history,” Kovalchuk said.
On March 4, the European Commission published a statement saying that the European Union has frozen cooperation with Russian research structures.