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Macron urges IAEA chief to send mission to Zaporozhye NPP as soon as possible

The French president assured Rafael Grossi that he could "count on France in terms of ensuring the IAEA’s mission’s safe and unhindered access" to the NPP and making sure that no one interfered in the mission's work

PARIS, August 25. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron called on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to send an expert mission to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Thursday.

"The President of the Republic stated that France supported plans to send IAEA experts to the Zaporozhye NPP as soon as possible in order to ensure the safety of the nuclear facility," the statement reads.

Macron assured Grossi that he could "count on France in terms of ensuring the IAEA’s mission’s safe and unhindered access" to the NPP and making sure that no one interfered in the mission's work. The French president "praised the IAEA director general’s efforts to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plant’s energy units."

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, located in the city of Energodar, is controlled by Russian troops. The Ukrainian military keep carrying out strikes on the facility, which particularly involve drones, heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Most attacks are repelled by Russia’s air defenses but some infrastructure sites and the nuclear waste storage area have been hit.

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