The Czech Republic’s decision to exclude Russia from the $7bn tender to expand the Dukovany nuclear power station is politically motivated and does not encourage the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries, state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.

The Czech Republic’s deputy prime minister and industry minister Karel Havlicek said on Twitter that “for safety” France’s EDF, South Korea’s KHNP and Westinghouse of the US, not Rosatom, will be approached before launching the tender for Dukovany. “We approved it with the government,” he said, adding that details would be decided by the new government after elections in October.

Rosatom said it has been a strong supporter of fair market competition. “In the past 65 years of collaboration in the nuclear industry, together with our Czech partners we built six nuclear units which to this day enable the country’s energy security in an efficient and safe way,” it said.