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At UNSC, India calls for restraint, expresses concern over shelling around Ukraine nuclear plant

New DelhiUpdated: Aug 12, 2022, 04:28 PM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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The United Nations and the nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have expressed concerns over the situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. 

Amid the crisis over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, India has called for “mutual restraint” so as not to “endanger the safety and security of nuclear facilities”. The nuclear plant is among the top 10 largest nuclear power plants in the world and is currently under Russian control.

At a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meet on Ukraine, Indian ambassador to UN Ruchira Kamboj expressed “concern over reports of shelling near the spent fuel storage facility of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant” and highlighted that New Delhi “attaches high importance to ensuring the safety and security of these facilities, as any accident involving nuclear facilities could potentially have severe consequences for public health and the environment.”

The United Nations and the nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have expressed concerns over the situation in and around the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has requested both Russian and Ukrainian sides to allow access to the site.

The Indian envoy to UN said, “We also accord high priority to the discharge by the IAEA of its safeguards and monitoring activities in accordance with its statute in an effective, non-discriminatory and efficient manner and we value the efforts of the agency in this regard.” New Delhi has taken a “note” of the IAEA’s regular updates on the issue, including those on August 9-10.

Watch: Russian forces fire rockets from nuclear plant site

Other than the nuclear power plant issue, India also raised the matter of the Ukraine conflict on “developing countries, particularly, on the supply of food grains, fertiliser and fuel”. The ambassador said, “It is important for all of us to appreciate the importance of equity, affordability, and accessibility when it comes to food grains,” cautioning that “open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination.”

The Ukraine war has impacted supply chains and food grain delivery to many countries across the world. Both Ukraine and Russia are the leading exporters of wheat. At the briefing, India welcomed the UN Secretary General-backed initiative to open the exports of grains from Ukraine via the Black Sea and facilitation of the exports of Russian food and fertilisers. The ambassador said, “These efforts demonstrate that differences can be resolved through sustained dialogue and diplomacy, which has been the consistent position of India.”

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