Grossi emphasized the necessity and importance of talks between North Korea and Japan

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that it is very important to try to make this negotiation happen without preconditions.

Rafael Grossi announced in an interview with the Reuters news agency during his visit to Tokyo on Tuesday that he supports Japan’s efforts to hold talks with North Korea, even if talks about Pyongyang’s nuclear program are not on the negotiating table at first.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said earlier that he wants to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without any preconditions, and he will personally oversee the efforts to make the first meeting between the two leaders in 20 years a reality.

Grossi, in response to Reuters’ question, whether he supports Japan’s talks with North Korea even if the issue of the nuclear program is not discussed. He said: This issue is very important. The terms of this conversation… I don’t want to pretend that Prime Minister Kishida needs to be told what to do. But what I can say is that interaction is essential.

He added: Every political dialogue has timing, formats and sequences that may exist. Not having a conversation is not a good idea.

The North Korean leader’s sister from the Workers’ Party of Korea, in an unprecedented reaction to Kishida’s comments, said last month that he might visit Pyongyang one day.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has not had access to North Korea since its inspectors were expelled from Pyongyang in 2009.

Kishida’s insistence on holding talks with Kim is focused on ensuring the return of citizens who were captured by North Korea decades ago.

During his visit to Japan, Grossi will hold talks with Kishida and visit the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which the agency is helping to dump contaminated water into the ocean.

Japan’s release of contaminated water, which began in August, has been criticized by local residents and neighboring countries, and has prompted China and Russia to ban Japanese seafood imports due to health concerns.

Grossi claims that China’s response to the release of contaminated water was a political decision, and independent testing by the agency has shown that the discharged water is safe.

He plans to visit Beijing for the first time after the release of contaminated water. He stated that he is open to dialogue on China’s request to strengthen monitoring of water releases.

The situation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is not sustainable in the long term

Recently, a number of Ukrainian employees of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant were banned from entering there due to not signing new contracts with the Russians. While some other Ukrainian human forces work alongside the Russians.

Elsewhere in an interview with Reuters, Grossi said there were no direct safety concerns from Ukrainian workers who were denied access to the Zaporozhye plant.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency stated: The situation is not sustainable in the long run. At the same time, according to the current configuration, it can be said that the staff can do the work.

Last week, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted to withdraw Russia from the plant and return it to the Ukrainian authorities.

Although some Ukrainian employees are currently working alongside the Russians to operate the plant, some Ukrainians have been barred from being there for refusing to sign new contracts with Moscow.

Grossi has announced the number of banned Ukrainian employees to be around 100.

German Galushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister, said it was “another Russian lie” and that the real number was 380. He added that the lack of manpower means the situation is heading towards “a nuclear accident”.

These comments come as Grossi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, among other issues. The director general of the agency said that Putin has confirmed his cooperation to ensure the safety of the power plant during their negotiations.

Source: IRNA