Mr. President,

On behalf of the European Union, let me express our sincere thanks to Italy - to you personally and your team - for your dedication and excellent steering of our work during this week. Through you, we would also like to thank the Chair of the Committee of the Whole, Mr. Lunga Bengu from South Africa for his tireless and skillful efforts to reach consensus on a number of difficult resolutions. Our sincere appreciation also goes to the Secretariat and the interpreters who have supported our discussions during the last five days.

Mr. President,

This General Conference took place in unprecedented circumstances and amidst growing international tensions, which have impacted our work. We deeply regret that this had led to the apparent fading – but hopefully not the final loss – of the Vienna spirit of consensus and we commend all those who have worked actively to maintain it. We emphasise that the rule of consensus must not become an abusive tool.

The deteriorating political environment is furthermost due to the unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which the EU condemns in the strongest possible terms. We reiterate that the Russian Federation’s invasion of a sovereign country is a gross violation of international law, notably the UN Charter, and it severely undermines European and global security and stability. We do not and will never recognise the falsified outcomes of the illegal sham 'referenda' that Russia has engineered as a pretext for further violation of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

Mr. President,

Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk are Ukraine. We call on all States and international organisations to unequivocally reject this illegal annexation. These developments pose serious and direct threats to the safety and security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, and they further aggravate the nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) illegally seized by the Russian Federation and pose additional difficulties to the IAEA to fulfil its safeguards mandate within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.

Thank you, Mr. President.