UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considers the continued implementation of the grain exports agreement - formally known as the Black Sea Initiative - to be very important for global food security, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considers the continued implementation of the grain exports agreement - formally known as the Black Sea Initiative - to be very important for global food security, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.
"The Secretary-General notes the indispensable role food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation and Ukraine continue to play in support of global food security," Dujarric said in a statement. "He reiterates the importance of full and continued implementation of the agreements signed in Istanbul in July 2022, to help ensure that these products can reach global markets smoothly, efficiently and at scale."
Dujarric noted in the statement that the grain deal has contributed to reducing food prices by 23% since March 2022.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized the implementation of the agreement in that Russian grain and fertilizer are still subject to Western sanctions while most of the exported grain ends up in the collective West and only a small amount goes to the Third World countries that need food products the most.
On July 22, the United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal with Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to enable safe exports of grain and fertilizer via the Black Sea.
