Ukrainian MFA welcomes adoption of IAEA resolution on nuclear safety at Zaporizhia NPP
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the adoption at the 69th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency of the resolution “Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine.”
The decision was taken by an absolute majority: 62 votes in favor, 7 against, and 46 abstentions.
“For the third consecutive year, the IAEA General Conference has adopted a resolution that unequivocally reaffirms: the international community does not and will not recognize Russia’s attempts to legitimize the occupation of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The document stresses that ZNPP remains a Ukrainian facility and must operate exclusively under the control of the competent authorities of Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The resolution also emphasizes the necessity of restoring Ukraine’s full sovereign control over the plant and the withdrawal of Russian military and other unauthorized personnel from the site: “This is a prerequisite for the full application of IAEA safeguards and for upholding nuclear and radiation safety principles,” the ministry said on its website Thursday.
The resolution also records the attack on the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, including damage to the New Safe Confinement. This clearly demonstrates that Russia’s aggression against Ukrainian nuclear facilities poses direct threats to international nuclear safety.
“The Russian Federation must comply with the requirements of this resolution and previous decisions of the IAEA governing bodies, immediately cease unlawful actions against Ukrainian nuclear facilities, and withdraw its forces from the territory of ZNPP,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted.
