GENEVA, June 10 Russia remains disappointed by the failure to implement the memorandum concluded with the UN under the «grain deal» regarding the export of Russian agricultural products, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin to Russian journalists after a new round of talks in Geneva.
In Geneva on June 9, a new round of talks took place between Russia, represented by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin, and the UN, represented by UNCTAD Secretary General Rebecca Greenspan, on a memorandum within the «grain deal».
«This time we also examined all these issues in detail. In essence, it must be said, our assessments have not changed. We cannot be satisfied with the how this memorandum is being implemented,» Vershinin said.
He added that the main criterion was and remains Russia's interests in terms of selling its agricultural products and fertilizers on the foreign market.
“Despite the declarative statements that are regularly heard in Western capitals — Washington, London, Brussels, the barriers that stand in the way of our respective exports remain. There are still problems in terms of transactions, obtaining spare parts, insurance and reinsurance of Russian of cargo on Russian ships when they call at European ports. In essence, we state that this part of the so-called package, which forms the Istanbul agreements of July last year, is not being implemented. Naturally, we cannot compromise here and will not compromise our interests,» said the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.
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 — the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years — provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, among the main tasks was the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration 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.