On
13 March, a regular round of interagency consultations between the Russian delegation
and the IAEA on safety and security of the Zaporozhskaya NPP (ZNPP) took place
in Moscow. Rosatom Director General Mr. Alexey Likhachev and IAEA Director
General Mr. Rafael Grossi headed the Delegations.
On
the Russian side the meeting was attended by Head of Rostechnadzor Alexander Trembitskiy, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to
the International Organizations in Vienna Mr. Mikhail Ulyanov, as well as
representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Radiation,
Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, and the
Federal National Guard Troops Service.
The
participants exchanged their assessments of the situation at the Zaporozhskaya
NPP. The IAEA Director General was informed about the preparations carried out
jointly with Rostechnadzor to restart the ZNPP’s power units, including
obtaining the respective licenses from the Russian
Regulatory Authority.
Mr.
Alexey Likhachev stressed that safety and security of the plant and
the nuclear town of Energodar are under permanent threat due to the relentless
Ukrainian provocations and targeted attacks with
the use of UAVs by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In
this context, Rosatom Director General noted the role of the IAEA and
personally that of Mr. Rafael Grossi in establishing
windows of silence for the restoration of external power
supply. Agreements have already been reached five times with the assistance of
the Agency to establish a ceasefire regime for the repair of two high-voltage lines
powering the ZNPP - “Dneprovskaya”
and “Ferrosplavnaya-1”.
Mr.
Alexey Likhachev emphasized the inadmissibility of attacks on nuclear
facilities under any circumstances, stressing that turning the ZNPP or the
Bushehr NPP into targets for military attacks is unlawful and suicidal.
Besides,
the constant presence of the IAEA experts at the plant and their regular
rotations were among the issues discussed during the meeting.
The parties confirmed the importance of maintaining contacts on topical matters.
