Latvia's Statement at the International Atomic Energy Agency's extraordinary Board of Governors meeting

Delivered by Ambassador Raimonds Oškalns

Mr Chair,

Latvia fully aligns itself with the statement delivered by Hungary on behalf of the European Union. Please allow me to add the following remarks in my national capacity.

We reiterate the strongest condemnation of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its illegal seizure of Ukraine’s territory, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), and its indiscriminate strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Russia’s actions present the most direct and serious threat to nuclear safety and security. Such reckless attacks on electrical substations, which are critical for transmitting and receiving off-site power, threaten the functioning of nuclear power plants and intentionally elevate the risk of a nuclear accident. In this context Latvia fully supports the timely  convening of this extraordinary Board meeting.

We commend the resilience and perseverance of the entire Ukrainian nation living under repeated and large-scale missile and drone attacks for almost three years now.

Russia terrorizes Ukraine’s civilian population by depriving them of critical services, in direct violation of international humanitarian law. We call on Russia to halt its aggression, to withdraw all its military and other personnel and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders. We applaud Ukraine’s competent authorities for all their efforts to maintain nuclear safety and security under such dire conditions.

I would like to express our gratitude to the Agency and its team for their continuous assistance to Ukraine, including the observation visits to the substations. It is crucial to ensure that the assessment missions remain out of harm’s way in order to fulfil their work. We join DG Grossi and others who condemn in the firmest terms this attack on the IAEA staff.

We would like to add our voice to those who support the draft Board resolution tabled by Ukraine,

calling on the Agency to continue providing updates on the nuclear safety, security and safeguards situation in Ukraine, and propose additional measures to holistically mitigate the risk of a nuclear accident.

Thank you.