Georgia and 42 countries call on Russia to withdraw its military forces from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, August 15, 2022
42 countries, including Georgia, issued a joint statement regarding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and called on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its military forces and all other unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, its immediate surroundings, and all of Ukraine.
The statement was published on the website of the EU delegation.
The joint statement was developed by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Also by the European Union.
The statement states that the unprovoked and unjustified aggressive war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, a sovereign country, is a gross violation of international law, including the UN Charter.
In the statement, the countries strongly support the fundamental importance of nuclear safety and note that Russia's control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest nuclear power plant - poses a great threat to these principles.
"The deployment of Russian military personnel and weapons at the nuclear facility is unacceptable and violates the principles of safeguards to which all IAEA members are committed.
The presence of Russian military forces at the Zaporizhzhia NPP prevents the operator and the Ukrainian authorities from fulfilling their nuclear and radiation safety obligations under international conventions and IAEA safety standards and prevents the IAEA from fulfilling its safety mandate.
We call on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its military forces and all other unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, its immediate surroundings, and all of Ukraine so that the operator and the Ukrainian authorities can resume their sovereign responsibilities within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and legitimate operating personnel can carry out their duties without external interference. Without danger or unacceptably strict conditions of work," the statement reads.
As stated in the statement, there is no doubt that Russia's invasion and its continued presence in Ukraine's nuclear facilities significantly increase the risk of nuclear incidents and accidents.
"We strongly condemn Russia's use of disinformation to justify its illegal actions in Ukraine," the statement said.
According to the statement, the international community will hold Russia accountable for its aggression and Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine.
