KIEV, September 28. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky offering his mediation in creating a security zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
"President Ergodan expressed deep satisfaction that a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine which they had been working on for a long time had successfully concluded. Stating that the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea was functioning, President Erdogan said that a similar approach may be displayed in the context of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and that the offer of the necessary mediation and assistance in creating a demilitarized zone around the power plant was in effect," the Turkish president’s office told journalists.
On September 21, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said that he held a number of meetings on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, including with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Ukrainian top diplomat Dmitry Kuleba and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the creation of a safety and security zone around the nuclear plant. He also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. Additionally, the IAEA secretary general reported that the agency was planning to expand its mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear plant in the near future.
On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the 66th annual session of the IAEA General Conference, Grossi told TASS that he was planning to visit Russia and Ukraine later this week to continue talks on the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Commenting on negotiations about creating a security zone around the nuclear facility, the IAEA director general noted that there was certain progress.
The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant located in Energodar is controlled by Russian troops. In early September, the nuclear facility was visited by the IAEA’s mission led by Grossi. After the mission left the nuclear power plant, two IAEA employees stayed behind as observers. Later, the IAEA published a report urging the creation of a security zone around the nuclear facility to prevent accidents caused by military action.