New IAEA Head To Visit Russia Soon To Meet With Putin

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published December 09, 2019 | 02:30 PM

Rafael Grossi, the new Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in an interview with Sputnik that he planned to visit Russia in the near future, where he intended to meet with Russian President Vladimir Puti

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2019) Rafael Grossi, the new Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in an interview with Sputnik that he planned to visit Russia in the near future, where he intended to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On December 2, following Grossi's appointment, Putin sent the new IAEA head a congratulatory note, inviting him to visit Russia soon.

"I was very honored to get a message from President Vladimir Putin congratulating me on assumption of my duties.

... I hope to meet him when I come to Moscow," Grossi said.

He added that he was looking into dates to travel to Russia soon, but as it was the holiday season it was somewhat difficult to say concretely when it would be.

"As soon as possible," Grossi said when asked whether it would be in winter or spring.

Grossi also said that Russia was a "key actor" in the nuclear agency and nuclear field as a whole, adding that the IAEA's "dynamic" relationship with Russia was "indispensable."