WASHINGTON, May 24 The Kingdom of Lesotho considers it important for Russia to export grain and fertilizers to African countries as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, said the Ambassador of the African state in the USA Tumisang Mosoto.
“Of course, this is important,” he answered the question whether it is important for Russia to supply grain and fertilizers to African countries as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Mosotho also responded in the affirmative to the question whether Lesotho would welcome a possible further extension of the grain deal.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the grain deal was extended until July 17 inclusive, without any changes, and if all problematic issues on the deal are not resolved within two months, the agreement will be terminated after July 17.
Restrictions on the export of Russian grain within the framework of the grain deal have not yet been settled, said the head of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev on the eve. During the talks, Russian officials emphasized that the provisions of the RF-UN memorandum, which is the second part of the grain deal, have not yet been fulfilled. The Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the next extension of the deal, said that «distortions» in the implementation of the grain deal should be corrected as soon as possible.
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, 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.