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GENEVA, May 17 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) believes that every effort should be made to enable Russia and Ukraine to export their grain around the world, the head of the organization, Mirjana Spolyarić, said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Russia extended the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 60 days.
«It is imperative that every effort be made to reach agreements that will allow the export of grain from Russia and Ukraine, on which millions of people around the world rely,» the document says.
Spolaric added that over the past year, commodity prices have risen 99% in South Sudan, 88% in Syria, 80% in Sudan, 62% in Ethiopia and 54% in Myanmar. «The extension of the 'grain deal' is a lifeline for families around the world who are already struggling with ongoing inflation, food shortages and financial instability. This is especially true for communities affected by armed conflict and violence,» said the ICRC president.
Russia has extended the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 60 days. Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya earlier in his letter to Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths indicated that in the context of the «product deal» the following problems should be resolved: connecting Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system, resuming supplies of agricultural equipment to Russia, lifting restrictions on insurance and access to ports for Russian cargo ships, the resumption of operation of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, the unblocking of accounts and financial activities of Russian fertilizer companies.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was signed on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The coordination of vessel traffic is handled by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out in September that the West exports most of the Ukrainian grain to its own states, and not to needy countries in Africa.
The grain initiative is an integral part of the package agreement. The second part, a three-year Russia-UN memorandum, provides for unblocking Russian exports of food and fertilizers, reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, resuming the supply of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, restoring the work of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, and a number of other measures. As noted in Moscow, this part of the package agreement has not yet been implemented.