MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th September, 2022) Russia considers it obvious that the current state of affairs in the "food deal" cannot be put up with, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said, commenting on the prospects for the deal's extension.
"There is a provision that it is valid for 120 days, after which countries must consider its effect. If necessary, changes can be made to the relevant agreement. We raised the problem because it is obvious that it is impossible to agree with the current state of affairs, since it contradicts fundamental understandings that created the context for the subject of work on these documents," Grushko told reporters.
"Analysis of the implementation (of the memorandum) indicates that once again our partners have shown an unfair approach. And if you look at the statistics of ship routes, it is obvious that more than 87% go not to the poorest countries, where there is a real threat of hunger, but to EU countries and other countries which do not face famine. In addition, the decisions that are being made in the EU regarding the lifting of sanctions clearly indicate that the EU does not intend to act in accordance with the memorandum that was signed in Istanbul," the deputy minister explained.
If the EU softens the restrictions, then "only for agricultural goods and their delivery to the EU countries," Grushko added.
