The presence of the IAEA at the nuclear power plant is of great importance, said the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Rafael Grossi, at a press conference on Thursday evening.
20:30•Updated 22:14
Two members of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s IAEA team are staying at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant permanently. The matter was confirmed by the head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi.
The purpose of the inspection team was to leave a permanent representative board at the nuclear power plant so that its safety and operations could be monitored. IAEA Director Grossi visited the power plant for several hours on Thursday during a long-awaited IAEA inspection visit.
– It is of great importance that our people are there now. Huge importance, and I was there myself, Grossi emphasized at the press conference.
The inspectors were allowed into all important places in the power plant
Grossi said that he and the IAEA team were shown all the places in the plant that they wanted to inspect. Grossi emphasized that he visited the nuclear power plant only as a representative of the Atomic Energy Organization, without any political commitments.
– There are a lot of political players and a lot of different views and opinions around the matter. We understand that this is the case, but the task of our organization is to focus only on what we are, Gross said.
According to him, some of the workers at the power plant have left and left their duties there, but those who remain are working together with the workers of the occupying power.
The Ukrainian company Energoatom, which uses the power plant, has confirmed that five IAEA representatives will probably remain at the power plant until Saturday.
Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushtshenko according to the IAEA should definitely state that a military presence at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is unacceptable. CNN writes about the topic.
In a speech aired on Ukrainian television, Halushtshenko said it was self-evident that a military presence at the plant was a threat to nuclear safety.
According to the head of IAEAN, he did not see Russian military forces at the power plant. No, even if he wanted to ask why the power plant’s crisis center has been moved to another room.
Kremlin propagandists reportedly participated in the visit of the IAEA inspection team
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said late on Thursday in his speech that he was upset that impartial journalists were not allowed to accompany the IAEA team to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on Thursday.
According to Zelenskyi, he had agreed with the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, that a group of Ukrainian and international journalists would go to the power plant with the inspectors, so that they could report on the situation at the power plant from the spot. However, the Russian forces occupying the nuclear power plant had not allowed journalists into the area.
According to Zelensky, only Kremlin propagandists participated in the visit of the IAEA inspection team.
According to Russia, the arrival of the IAEA team at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been a very positive thing.
– In general, we are very satisfied that, despite all the difficulties and problems, the group got there and has started its work, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told.
However, according to Peskov, it is still too early to assess the work of the observer group at the power plant.
In recent days, Ukraine and Russia have continued to accuse each other of military activity near the nuclear power plant.
Article updated with information provided at the press conference on September 2, 2022 at 9:29 p.m.