Alexey Likhachev, director-general of Rosatom, speaks at the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria on Sept 26, 2022. (THERESA WEY / AP)

MOSCOW – Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom said in a statement that the meeting held Wednesday between its director-general and the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is "substantive and frank."

During the talks, the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom and the IAEA both noted the prompt reaction of the IAEA to the massive shelling of the station on Sunday and agreed to continue cooperation, according to the statement

Alexei Likhachev, director-general of Rosatom, held a working meeting with IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The two parties discussed in detail the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) and the role of the IAEA mission in ensuring the plant's safety, said the statement.

During the talks, they both noted the prompt reaction of the IAEA to the massive shelling of the station on Sunday and agreed to continue cooperation, the statement said.

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In recent months, the NPP, one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe, has been attacked by shellings, with Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of the attacks.

The IAEA said on Monday that there were "no immediate nuclear safety or security concerns" at the power station, which has been under the control of Russian forces since March.  

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More than 400,000 tons of fertilizers produced by several Russian firms are currently detained in European ports due to sanctions, said Dmitry Mazepin, chairman of the Commission on Mineral Fertilizer Production and Trading of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Ready to export more fertilizers

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to expand the supply of fertilizers and work with all partners in this area.

There are artificial barriers created by some countries to the export of Russian fertilizers, which are negatively affecting global markets, Putin said during a meeting with Dmitry Mazepin, chairman of the Commission on Mineral Fertilizer Production and Trading of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

More than 400,000 tons of fertilizers produced by several Russian firms are currently detained in European ports due to sanctions, Mazepin told Putin.

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"This situation is really difficult. All companies are facing this problem. We tried to solve the problem in different ways so that the fertilizers, which were particularly meant for developing markets, including African countries, could be delivered," Mazepin said.

The Russian authorities are in contact with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders of several African countries in a bid to remove the obstacles, Putin said.