Russian MFA: “This clearly goes beyond an IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi mandate”

Foreign Ministry statement in connection with pronouncements by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on the presence of IAEA Secretariat’s representatives at the Zaporozhye NPP:

On November 13, during an interview with the German Press Agency (dpa), IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made unacceptable remarks regarding the timeline for the presence of the IAEA Secretariat’s representatives at the Zaporozhye NPP, which, as everyone knows, is a Russian nuclear facility.

In particular, he went as far as allege that these representatives could stay at the NPP until the conflict reaches a frozen stage. We find it impossible to explain what prompted the IAEA leadership to voice his opinion on whether this infamous freezing could materialise. This clearly goes beyond his mandate. Equally appalling is the fact that the Director General said in the interview that it was up to the Secretariat to define at its own discretion the modalities and conditions regarding the presence of its experts at the Zaporozhye NPP. This is not true.

The Foreign Ministry reminds that the IAEA Secretariat’s representatives are present at the Zaporozhye NPP at the Director General’s request, while their presence there is subject to the approval by the Government of the Russian Federation and will last as long as our country believes that their presence there is justified. The mission of the IAEA Secretariat specialists consists of reporting Ukrainian provocations against the NPP and its staff, which continue to this day. On November 13, the Kiev regime carried out a massive artillery strike and a drone attack against Energodar, a town where the NPP staff live, resulting in civilian casualties. This is just the latest example.

The Foreign Ministry expects the Director General to be more accurate when describing the situation without misrepresenting the legal framework enabling the IAEA Secretariat’s experts to be present at the Zaporozhye NPP. By the same token, we expect him not to exceed his mandate.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs