GENEVA, Mar 13 The round of negotiations between the UN and Russia in Geneva on the situation with the grain deal is over, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said at a briefing with reporters.
«We have just completed another round of consultations between the Russian interdepartmental delegation and UN representatives headed by UNCTAD Secretary General R. Greenspan and OCHA Head M. Griffiths,» he said.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Vershinin called the conversation with UN representatives in Geneva about the situation with the extension of the grain deal frank and detailed.
«The detailed and frank conversation that took place again confirmed that if the commercial export of Ukrainian products is carried out at a steady pace, bringing considerable profit to Kiev, then there are still barriers in the way of Russian agricultural exporters,» Vershinin told reporters.
Consultations between representatives of Russia and The UN on the situation with the grain deal began on Monday in Geneva.
The grain deal, 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 Joint Coordinating Center (JCC) in Istanbul is responsible for coordinating the movement of ships. The contract expired on November 18, 2022, but meant an automatic extension for 120 days until March 18, if either party did not object. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that «no such objections were received», at the same time noting that the Russian side allows a technical extension of the «Black Sea initiative» for the export of Ukrainian grain without any changes in terms and scope.
The grain deal itself is an integral part package agreement, which, among other things, provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, Moscow noted that this was precisely what was not implemented. At the same time, there were assurances from the UN that the restrictions would be lifted.