Secretary General of NATO calls for IAEA inspection of the nuclear power plant and withdrawal of Russian military from the site
EUROPEAN PRAVDA — WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST 2022, 18:13
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the presence of Russian military personnel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) poses great risks and has called for the plant to be demilitarised and for an IAEA inspection to be allowed there as soon as possible.
As reported by European Pravda, he said this at a joint press conference with the President of Serbia on 17 August.
"The seizure of the Zaporizhzhya NPP by Russian forces poses a serious threat to the safety of this facility, increases the risk of an incident or accident, and endangers the population of neighbouring countries and the international community in general. It is necessary to urgently enable the inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and ensure the withdrawal of all Russian forces," said Jens Stoltenberg.
On 18 August, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey are to discuss the situation at the Zaporizhzhya NPP at a meeting in Lviv.
The situation at the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP intensified after the Russian occupiers shelled the territory of the plant twice on 5 August. First, 3 strikes were recorded near the industrial site and the Russian occupying forces hit a high-voltage line. Subsequently, the Russians attacked the Zaporizhzhya NPP with an anti-aircraft missile, with a projectile landing near one of the power units.
42 countries around the world have called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Russia refuses to comply with the calls of both Ukraine and the global community to demilitarise the nuclear plant and blames Ukraine for the shelling.
The United Nations said it could facilitate a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to Zaporizhzhia from Kyiv, but Russia said that any mission that would pass through the Ukrainian capital was too dangerous.
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