Russian representatives will no longer take part in an upcoming nuclear energy meeting in the US capital, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA offered no explanation for the purported schedule change.
An unnamed official from the agency said top figures from Moscow’s state energy corporation, Rosatom, and its main industrial regulator, Rostechnadzor, had been “dropped” from the meeting’s speaker roster, telling Bloomberg that “participation in the conference can change because of programmatic or personal reasons” without further elaboration.
“We are confident that the current program will ensure a successful conference,” the official continued, adding that the meetings will cover “the role of nuclear power and its contribution to energy security.”
The reasoning behind the decision remains unclear, as the IAEA did not specify whether the Russian representatives were removed from the agenda against their wishes or declined to attend voluntarily. Rosatom and the IAEA did not immediately respond to RT’s request for clarification.