Terming as "unfortunate" the resistance to the commissioning of Indo-Russian joint venture Koodankulam nuke plant in Tamil Nadu, Russia on Tuesday said all safety norms have been taken into consideration in view of the Fukushima accident in Japan.

However, it ruled out that the on-going protests will have any influence on Indo-Russian cooperation in future.

"What is happening in Tamil Nadu is unfortunate. It looks like that the protests will shadow the commissioning of the plant which is going to happen in December," senior counsellor Sergey V Karmalito in the Russian Embassy told PTI here.

The protests have intensified against the project since the announcement late last month that the first of the two 1x1000 MWe reactors set up at the coastal village of Koodankulam would be commissioned in December, resulting in Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa writing to the prime minister seeking a halt on its opening.

Asserting that all safety norms were put in place, Karmalito said following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, all "new requests" by India about the safety of the plant have been taken into consideration.

"Last month we conducted the trial runs, which was very important step as we checked all safety measures apart from whatever was envisaged of the plant in terms of features and productivity," he said.

It is not correct to compare the Fukushima plant with Koodankulam as the reactor in Japan was constructed decades ago and the one in Tamil Nadu is "one of the most powerful and modern reactors" in the world, he said. .

The senior counsellor said the delay in commissioning of Koodankulam can have a cascading effect on other agreements and projects.

"According to reports, what we understand is that the agitation is happening because they (protesters) want experts to explain and address safety issues relating to the power plant. We hope that Indian government and the atomic department will soon do so," he said.

Given the fact that energy security is one of the most important issues in India, Russia hopes that this situation is addressed soon, Karmalito said.

However, he said given the "positive" past experience with India, the ongoing protests will not influence future cooperation between the two countries.

He said Russia has provided technical assistance to India and also critical expertise in the power plant project.

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Protest on  till TN cabinet passes resolution: Medha

Pledging her support to the ongoing agitation against the Koodankulam nuclear project, social activist Medha Patkar on Tuesday said the protesting villagers have decided to continue their 10-day old fast till the state cabinet passed a resolution for stopping work on the project.

"The villagers (living in and around the project site) demand that the state cabinet pass a resolution for stopping the ongoing work and ensure the safety of the people and the natural resources. We completely support them," she told a press conference here.

Patkar, speaking on her return from a visit to the protest venue near Koodankulam in Tirunelveli District, said the central government should show the same urgency on the Koodankulam issue as it attached to the Jan Lokpal Bill.

"When West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee could stop Haripur nuclear power plant, why not the Koodankulam plant (be halted)? Tamil Nadu government should also follow a similar approach", she said.

Hitting out at Jayalalithaa for sending two AIADMK leaders to express solidarity with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi during his three-day fast, Patkar said she had not bothered to depute even a single emissary to talk to the protesters.

While the villagers thanked Jayalalithaa for her steps, including writing a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh, she said they had decided to continue the fast until a resolution was passed by the cabinet.

"It is not a battle between Jayalalithaa and (Union Minister) Jayanti Natarajan but a battle between the people and the state", she said referring to the chief minister's charge that Natarajan had washed off her hands over the impasse.

Patkar, who is also the convenor of National Alliance of People's Movement, said an inquiry commission would be formed with eminent scientists to go into the impact of nuclear policy and power plants vis-a-vis the rights of people to know about the safety of such projects.