Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said that some countries are in favor of excluding Russia from the work of the agency because of the conflict in Ukraine. He said this on March 14 during his speech as part of a discussion at the site of the Washington think tank CSIS.
“Many believe that because of (the fighting in Ukraine. – Ed.) And everything that is happening, it is necessary to lower the level of Russia’s presence (in the organization. – Ed.). Some go to the extreme and suggest that she be removed from the agency. However, in this case, we are talking about international organizations, and there are procedures for such purposes,” Grossi said.
According to him, he himself does not have the authority to exclude a particular country from the work of the IAEA.
He also noted that the current situation “provokes friction” that must be dealt with. As Grossi specified, the agency is in contact with the relevant countries in order to resolve differences.
Earlier, on March 6, Grossi said that the situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) highlights the urgent need to create a security zone there. According to him, he stepped up consultations with both sides.
On March 4, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, expressed the opinion that the Kyiv authorities were not ready to implement the IAEA initiative to create a protective zone around the ZNPP.
On the same day, Grossi condemned attacks on nuclear facilities anywhere in the world. According to him, a military attack on them is unacceptable and contrary to international law.
Western countries have stepped up sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation against the backdrop of a special operation to protect Donbass. The decision to start it was made after the aggravation of the situation in the region due to Ukrainian shelling.
