IAEA head expects creation of safety zone surrounding ZNPP soon

BRUSSELS. Dec 13 (Interfax) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said following a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal that he expects that a safety zone surrounding the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) would be created soon, the IAEA said in a statement.

"While we are not yet there and more work is required, I'm increasingly optimistic that such a zone - which is of paramount importance - will be agreed and implemented in the near future," Grossi said following a two-hour-long meeting with Shmygal in Paris.

He added that in the coming days, he would continue his high-level consultations both with Russia and Ukraine to ensure that it is done as soon as possible.

Grossi and Shmygal agreed that IAEA nuclear safety experts would be present at all nuclear power plants in Ukraine.