During the conversation, the sides continued to exchange views on the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum on the Normalization of Domestic agricultural Exports, aimed at lifting sanctions restrictions in the areas of bank payments, insurance and transport logistics, as well as the “unfreezing” of foreign assets and the resumption of supplies of spare parts and equipment to Russia.

Special attention was paid to the tasks of practical implementation of the Russian proposal on the gratuitous transfer of mineral fertilizers blocked in EU ports to the poorest countries.

In general, the importance of ensuring unhindered access of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets in the interests of meeting the needs of needy states and maintaining global food security was noted.

A source: https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1913309/

Сообщение About the conversation of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Vershinin with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) R. Greenspan появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

After the collapse of the “Black Sea initiative”, which, as is known, did not justify the declared humanitarian purpose (less than 3% of 32.8 million tons of cargo were sent to countries in need) and was used by Ukrainians to carry out attacks against Russian facilities, no catastrophe occurred. Contrary to the alarmist statements of Westerners and the UN Secretariat about the rise in food prices and the aggravation of hunger threats, the cost of grain on world markets is steadily decreasing (in August, the reduction was about 4-5%, and from the peak values of March 2022, the decline was already 25-40%).

In general, there is no global physical shortage of food – there are problems with its distribution, but not with production. In other words, because of the cessation of the sea export of Ukrainian grain, no one died of hunger and the food crisis did not happen, as predicted in Western capitals and the UN. Which is not surprising, because 32.8 million tons of mainly fodder corn and feed grain are difficult to feed humanity.

The role of Ukraine as a global breadbasket has been greatly exaggerated, at the suggestion of the same Westerners and UN members. The share of this country in total wheat exports was already small (5%), and now it is objectively decreasing even more, taking into account, among other things, the reduction in acreage due to radiation and chemical contamination of the soil as a result of the use of depleted uranium ammunition supplied by the West. At the same time, Ukrainians have other (besides the Black Sea) opportunities to export their goods – by land and river routes to the EU, along the so-called “solidarity corridors”.

It is no secret that such transportation is more expensive, and Europeans are in no hurry to actually show their declared solidarity with Kiev: in May, the European Commission banned the import of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria (only transit is allowed). On September 15, when the next moratorium expires, Brussels will have a great opportunity to reconsider its own decision and lift the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain, which risks finally flooding the markets of Eastern European countries. There will also be an opportunity to send grain from Ukraine to needy countries in Africa and Latin America for free, since Washington and some European capitals are so concerned about this. Only for some reason I don’t believe it at all.

In these circumstances, as the Russian side has repeatedly and in detail noted, if the Westerners and Kiev really need the Black Sea corridor, it is time to take concrete steps to lift illegal unilateral sanctions against domestic entities engaged in the production and export of agricultural products and fertilizers. We are talking about the normalization of the activities of banks, companies, the establishment of transport logistics and insurance, the resumption of the supply of spare parts. The solution of these “systemic” tasks is provided not only by the Russia-UN Memorandum, but would also fully comply with the high-flown declarations of the Americans and Europeans that their sanctions do not hinder the access of Russian fertilizers and grain to world markets.

However, instead of real exemptions from sanctions, Russia only receives a new batch of promises from the UN Secretariat. This time, the UN Secretary General and his experts put forward four supposedly “breakthrough” proposals – SWIFT for the “daughter” of Rosselkhoznadzor; creation of an insurance platform; unblocking foreign assets of Russian fertilizer companies and establishing access for our ships to European ports. In return, the Russian side is required to give guarantees of the immediate and full restoration of the “Black Sea initiative”.

However, in fact, the current proposals, like the previous ideas of the UN members, do not contain any new elements and cannot become the basis for achieving qualitative progress in normalizing our agricultural exports.

As has been repeatedly pointed out, including in public comments, there are no working alternatives to reconnecting the profile “Rosselkhoznadzor” to SWIFT – neither with the options of branches and “daughters”, nor through a marginal channel with JP Morgan, which, by the way, was closed after the collapse of the “Black Sea initiative”. And a few days before the Russian-Turkish summit in Sochi, Rosselkhoznadzor received a notification from Commerzbank in Frankfurt about the closure of the euro account.

The creation of a special insurance platform for Russian agricultural products has been promised to us since August 2022, but for unknown reasons it has not been done so far.

The same applies to the access of Russian ships and cargo to foreign ports – the UN members have not been able to deal with the sanctions obstacles arising in this regard (in the form of declaring the entire territory of Russia a war risk zone, as well as the inclusion of Russian specialized transport and insurance structures and companies themselves in the sanctions lists).

Fertilizer companies, in order to unblock their foreign assets, are directly invited to recognize their sub-sanctioned status in order to then “at their own risk” ask for relief.

It is obvious that all these palliative measures and workarounds are designed only to create the appearance of work, but do not lead to a real solution to the problem – the lifting of sanctions restrictions from specialized Russian economic operators. For the same reason – a direct sanctions ban on the import of spare parts to Russia as “dual–use” goods – the UN members do not even mention the corresponding “systemic” task.

The UN Secretary General continues to remain silent on the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, despite his special visit to Kiev on March 8 and a separate proposal on April 26. After the Ukrainians blew up a pipeline on June 5 in the territory under their control, which annually provided raw materials for fertilizers sufficient for food production for 45 million people, the UN Secretariat prefers not to remember this core element of both Istanbul agreements at all.

The question remains open about the future plans of the UN members to ensure the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum, since A. Guterres assured that there were no intentions to withdraw from the agreement. However, at present, the relevant activities have actually been suspended: since July of this year, the Secretary General of UNCTAD R. Greenspan, who oversees the agreement, has had an invitation to come to Moscow to hold another round of consultations, but at present even the sending of regular reports on the work done has been discontinued. However, UN representatives are still at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, without having a mandate to do so due to the termination of the “Black Sea initiative”.

In this regard, Russia reaffirms the principled position that President Vladimir Putin clearly voiced on September 4 – we will be ready to consider the possibility of reviving the “Black Sea initiative”, but only after full compliance with the requirements for lifting the sanctions status from Russian companies engaged in agricultural products and fertilizers. It is obvious that while the prospects for appropriate steps on the part of Western countries are not visible, and in Kiev they declare that they will continue to seek tougher sanctions against Russia, not caring in the least about the needs of the countries of the Global South in grain and fertilizers, as well as food security in general.

For its part, Russia will continue to export domestic food and fertilizers, which will help stabilize world prices and improve their overall availability. We also do not stop our efforts to donate our products to those in need.

In particular, Russian fertilizers have already been sent to Malawi (20,000 tons) and Kenya (34,000 tons). In the coming period, it is planned to send such fertilizers to Zimbabwe (23,000 tons), Nigeria (34,000 tons) and Sri Lanka (55,000 tons). In addition, free deliveries of 200,000 tons of Russian wheat to Somalia, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali and Eritrea are planned by the end of the year.

A joint project of Russia, Turkey and Qatar to supply 1 million tons of grain from Russia for processing in Turkey with subsequent gratuitous transportation to the poorest countries is also extremely in demand. Moreover, we are talking about about the same amount of food that was sent to those in need within the framework of the “Black Sea initiative” for the year.

A source: https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1903205/

Сообщение Statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the “grain deal” появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

An exchange of views was held on the regional agenda with an emphasis on the latest developments around Ukraine. The results of joint work within the framework of the “Black Sea initiative” were discussed. Sergey Lavrov stated that due to the non–fulfillment of the Russian part of the package agreements of the Russia-UN Memorandum, in particular, the continued blocking of Russian bank payments, insurance and transport logistics, the freezing of our foreign assets and supplies of domestic agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets, as well as the actual loss of the humanitarian nature of the transaction, openly commercialized by Kiev, the implementation of agreements on grain has been discontinued since July 18. In practical terms, this means the withdrawal of guarantees for the safety of navigation and the restoration of the regime of a temporarily dangerous area in the northwestern waters of the Black Sea, the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Agreement zone and the disbanding of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul.

As an alternative to the “Black Sea initiative”, the ministers considered other options for grain supplies to the most needy countries, independent of the subversive actions of Kiev and its Western patrons.

The sides exchanged views on a number of issues of bilateral relations.

It was agreed to continue contacts.

A source: https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1897368/

Сообщение On the telephone conversation between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey H.Fidan появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

Nevertheless, arguments continue to be used, the essence of which boils down to the fact that without Ukrainian fodder corn, the world will die of hunger, and illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by Westerners against Russia do not apply to food and fertilizers. In this regard, it is necessary to recall once again the true state of affairs with the implementation of the Istanbul Agreements.

The “Black Sea Initiative”, whose goal was to help countries in need in Africa, Asia and Latin America, turned into a purely commercial export of Ukrainian food to “well-fed” countries. Of the 32.6 million tons of grain exported from the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny since August 1, 2022, the majority – 26.2 million tons, or 81% – were sent to countries with high and above average income levels. The poorest States (Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia) received only 862,086 tons, or 2.6% of cargo. On average, during the year of operation of the Black Sea Initiative, only 2 vessels of the World Food Program (WFP) and 90 commercial grain carriers became monthly participants.

Against this background, the situation with the normalization of Russian supplies of food and fertilizers to world markets, as stipulated by the Russia-UN Memorandum, continued to degrade. Since July 2022, the European Union has introduced five new “packages” of anti-Russian sanctions in addition to the ever-expanding extraterritorial restrictions of the United States and Britain, which blocked Russian agricultural exports. Of the five “systemic” tasks, the solution of which would eliminate these obstacles, is the reconnection of Rosselkhoznadzor to SWIFT; spare parts for agricultural machinery; resuscitation of the Tolyatti–Odessa ammonia pipeline; transport logistics and insurance; “unfreezing” of assets – the first three are obviously removed from the agenda, and the achievement of any progress on the remaining two is not visible.

A vivid illustration of the UN’s efforts and their “results” were the stories with the ammonia pipeline and the gratuitous supplies of Russian mineral fertilizers to the poorest countries. On June 5, the ammonia pipeline was blown up in the territory controlled by Kiev under the scheme of “Northern Streams”. We are talking about a pipeline through which about 2 million tons of raw materials for the production of fertilizers were pumped annually, sufficient to feed 45 million people. Of the 262 thousand tons of Russian fertilizers planned to be transferred free of charge to countries in need, from September 2022. Only two shipments were sent – 20 thousand tons to Malawi and 34 thousand tons to Kenya.

The UN leadership, however, remains silent on both of these inconvenient subjects. In the West, at the same time, they publicly declare that there can be no easing within the framework of anti-Russian sanctions, including for food and fertilizers. That is why there is no SWIFT, a ban on the supply of spare parts has been introduced, the entire territory of Russia is included in the list of war risk zones with “sky-high” insurance rates, and Russian companies are denied access to their financial assets.

In these circumstances, it is obvious that there are no grounds for further continuation of the “Black Sea initiative”, which expires on July 17. At the same time, the Russian side continues to approach its obligations in good faith and responsibly as a party to the agreement, making the necessary efforts in strict accordance with the rules of procedure so that all vessels participating in it can successfully complete their mission and leave the Black Sea before the end of its validity period. The Russia-UN memorandum, as you know, is designed for 3 years and does not require special decisions on extension.

A source: https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1895306/

Сообщение About the Istanbul Agreements появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

Answer: During the Transnistrian settlement, the question of whether Chisinau should abandon Transnistria or not was never raised. The negotiation process has always been aimed at finding a solution that suits both sides. Russia has always contributed to this by acting as a mediator and guarantor of the settlement.

Now the situation with the Transnistrian settlement is complicated. Negotiations in the “5+2” format have been put on pause. The direct dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol is deteriorating.

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to say that all efforts have been nullified. Today it is important to strive for the resumption of meetings in the proven 5+2 format, to which there is no alternative, and to give dynamics to a direct dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol to address specific socio-economic and humanitarian issues. Russia is ready to continue contributing to the maintenance of peace and stability in the region.

As for statements about the possibility of resolving the Transnistrian issue by force, we would like to hope that neither Chisinau nor Tiraspol want this and reject such an option, because they understand well what such a “hot” scenario is fraught with. It is important that external “players” also realize this.

Question: V. Zelensky said in Chisinau that Ukraine will play a key role in solving the Transnistrian problem. He also added that “if the Russian peacekeepers in Transnistria want to live, they must leave the region.” Does Moscow consider such statements a direct threat? Is there any data on the preparation by the Ukrainian side of provocations against Transnistria, and what will be the actions of the Russian Federation? Are there any attempts to involve Moldova in the Ukrainian crisis?

Answer: The Russian Foreign Ministry has already commented on this statement. This is another demonstration of the aggressive course of the Kiev regime, whose threats are already crossing the borders of neighboring countries.

We warn against any attempts to destabilize the situation around Transnistria. The Russian military is in the region on legitimate grounds as part of a joint peacekeeping force and an Operational group of Russian troops.

We also warned that the Russian armed forces would respond adequately to any provocations against our military in Transnistria and would ensure the protection of our compatriots, the Russian peacekeeping contingent, as well as military depots in the locality of Kolbasna. Any actions that pose a threat to their security will be considered in accordance with international law as an attack on the Russian Federation.

Question: Moldova started the process of denouncing a number of agreements with the CIS and withdrew from the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth. There is a feeling that the next step of Chisinau will be the exit from the association itself. How likely is such a scenario in the near future? How can such actions of the administration of M. Sandu turn out?

Answer: The statements of the official Chisinau about the alleged “inefficiency” of the CIS and the expediency of leaving the Commonwealth began to sound more often after Moldova received the status of a candidate for EU membership. There is a direct pattern. It was the same with Ukraine, which at one time the European Union put before the choice “either – or”, that is, either with the EU or with Russia. Everyone knows how it ended. It was this flawed logic that led to the unconstitutional coup d’etat and all subsequent events.

Today, the Moldovan authorities have really taken a course to curtail work in the CIS. They withdrew from participation in meetings of its key bodies, launched the procedure of withdrawal from the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, refused to implement the program “Cultural Capitals of the Commonwealth” in Comrat, do not pay a contribution to the CIS budget, began the process of denouncing a number of agreements signed within its framework.

At the same time, official Chisinau is in no hurry to give up the socio-economic advantages that membership in the CIS gives. We are mainly talking about visa-free regime, free trade zone, labor, social and other preferences for migrant workers. Do not forget that almost a quarter of Moldova’s trade turnover still falls on the CIS countries, and the number of Moldovan diaspora in Russia alone, according to various estimates, is up to half a million people.

Objectively speaking, the preservation of membership in the CIS and the development of cooperation within its framework meets the interests of Moldova itself and its citizens. I would like to hope that in fact the Moldovan leadership understands this, but, apparently, they are forced to follow the instructions that are issued in Brussels to EU candidate countries. By the way, not all candidates recklessly follow this course and refuse beneficial cooperation with Russia and the CIS.

Question: Statements about the “collective responsibility” of all Russians and direct calls for their physical destruction are increasingly heard from Ukraine. Are these calls being heard in the West, in particular, on international platforms? And does Moscow see this as an opportunity to change the attitude of the West towards arms supplies to Ukraine?

Answer: Unfortunately, these public manifestations of xenophobia, neo-Nazism and actual calls for genocide of ethnic Russians and Russians are being ignored in the West and in international organizations, many of which are controlled by Western countries.

We have been constantly and for a long time drawing the attention of the world community to concrete facts and statements confirming that neo-Nazism is really flourishing in Ukraine and a fascist, misanthropic, Russophobic ideology is being planted. We also constantly talk about encouraging fascist organizations in Ukraine at the state level, glorifying Nazi criminals.

It is clear why Western countries do not see this. The Kiev regime was created by the West as part of the “Ukraine as Anti-Russia” project to realize its geopolitical interests. Therefore, he will continue to turn a blind eye to the crimes of the Kiev regime, no matter how monstrous they may be.

Moreover, today the United States and other NATO countries are pumping Ukraine with weapons, turning a blind eye to the fact that it is from them that Russians are being killed. Thus, they contribute to the implementation of calls by Ukrainian politicians for the physical destruction of Russians. Therefore, we have no illusions that the West is able to stop providing military assistance to Kiev for humane reasons.

Question: Moscow has been trying to make the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline work all the time since the conclusion of the grain deal, but this has not happened. Many are wondering: what was so important about this pipeline and is there really no other infrastructure to supply ammonia from Russia abroad, bypassing the territory of Ukraine? If the deal is not extended after July 17, what opportunities does Russia have to compensate for losses from blocking the ammonia pipeline?

Answer: Ammonia supplies are the most important element of the “grain deal” package. Let me remind you that they appear in both of its documents – the Initiative for the Transportation of Grain and Products from Ukrainian Ports and the Russia-UN Memorandum on the Promotion of Russian food and Fertilizers to World Markets.

In seeking the resumption of the work of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, we proceeded from the fact that the agreements must be respected. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side has been sabotaging their implementation for many months, coming up with unreasonable links to issues far from the “grain deal”. And on June 5, she blew up the ammonia pipeline altogether, making its launch impossible.

Why is ammonia and the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline so important? Ammonia is necessary for the production of fertilizers, without which agricultural production is impossible in many countries. The Togliatti-Odessa pipeline is a unique highway, the longest in the world, with a length of 2,417 km. Previously, more than 2 million tons of ammonia were pumped through it annually. This amount is enough to feed over 45 million people. The explosion of the ammonia pipeline has dealt a significant blow to the food security of the poorest countries of the “global South”.

Of course, there are other ways of supplying Russian fertilizers to world markets. Our relevant ministries and companies are engaged in working out their routes and logistics.

Question: According to CNN, Ukraine has created an agent network inside the Russian Federation for sabotage and supplies UAVs. Is it known exactly where the drone attacks that are already flying to Moscow are coming from: from the territory of Ukraine or the Russian Federation? And whose citizens are involved: Russian or Ukrainian?

Answer: It would be logical to address this question not to diplomats, but to representatives of those departments that are engaged in repelling, preventing and investigating the facts of such attacks.

In any case, if the network CNN is talking about really exists, then it is a terrorist network. The same as the ISIS groups and other similar organizations that the international community is actively fighting.

Either the United States has forgotten about its own experience of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, or we are witnessing another manifestation of the short-sighted policy of “double standards”.

Question: The Belarusian side has repeatedly stated about a large concentration of Ukrainian troops near the border with Belarus. How dangerous is the situation there now seen in Moscow and is it possible to attack the Union State from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border?

Answer: Russian and Belarusian military specialists could answer such questions more competently. However, the information we have and which has been repeatedly voiced in the statements of officials indicates that the Ukrainian army has indeed deployed significant contingents along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, periodically trying to probe the defense capability of the Union State in one way or another. Evidence of this, for example, is the statement of the State Border Committee of Belarus on June 15 about another downed Ukrainian drone in the Loyevsky district of the Gomel region.

Under these conditions, since October 2022, additional units of the joint Regional grouping of troops (forces) have been deployed in Belarus. Their task is to serve as a deterrent from invading the territory of the Union State and minimize the risks of infiltration by sabotage and reconnaissance groups. We proceed from the fact that the Russian and Belarusian funds available in this area are sufficient to repel aggression from the territory of Ukraine or neighboring NATO countries. We hope that the Kiev regime and their Western curators will have enough common sense not to undertake military adventures, the consequences of which may be very serious for them.

Question: The decision to deploy Russian tactical weapons in Belarus caused a great resonance. Can we say that this step by Moscow is an attempt to restrain Western countries that are increasing support for Kiev? Are there any time limits for the presence of Russian nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus and under what conditions will they be returned to the territory of Russia?

Answer: The decision to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) on the territory of Belarus is largely forced in response to the aggressive policy of the alliance. At the same time, the long-term destructive practice of “joint nuclear missions” of NATO countries was taken into account.

Westerners’ open support for the Kiev regime and unwillingness to take into account our country’s legitimate security requirements were the “trigger” of such a retaliatory step by Moscow and Minsk. It is very important to note that our actions do not contradict our existing international legal obligations, including the NPT, since control over nuclear weapons remains with Russia. Unlike American warheads in European countries, our special ammunition will be located in close proximity to Russia, on the territory of the Union State, within which a single defense space has been formed.

As for the possible time frame for the presence of the Russian TNW on the territory of Belarus, the Russian-Belarusian agreements do not imply any restrictions on this. In the current geopolitical situation, the main conditions for a hypothetical return of TNW to Russia could be the refusal of the United States and NATO from the course of undermining the security and sovereignty of Russia and Belarus. Of course, such a step should be preceded by the complete withdrawal of all American nuclear weapons to the territory of the United States with the elimination of the corresponding infrastructure in Europe.

Question: V. Zelensky in Chisinau again demanded that the West give guarantees of Ukraine’s accession to NATO. In turn, Western politicians continue to talk about the open door policy and that Kiev’s rightful place is in the ranks of the alliance, it’s just not a priority issue right now. How can you comment on the statements of the Ukrainian leader and the fact that the neutral status of Ukraine does not seem to be taken seriously by anyone?

Answer: One of the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis is the expansion of NATO to the east while ignoring Russia’s legitimate interests. Since the 1990s, we have opposed the thoughtless advance of this aggressive military bloc to our borders, warning that the security of some countries cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of others. They offered many options for resolving the problem, including by creating a single Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian space of indivisible security.

As you know, we made the last of these proposals at the end of 2021 in the form of two projects – the Russia-USA security guarantees treaty and the agreement on security measures for Russia and NATO countries. Both of them actually remained unanswered.

Unfortunately, the West continues to follow the path of confrontation, dismantling the existing arms control system and destroying the remnants of the European security architecture. Finland has become a member of NATO, Sweden is on the way. There are talks about the admission of Ukraine, which was promised this back in 2007.

If the United States and other NATO countries really cared about Ukraine’s security guarantees, they themselves would insist on its neutral and non-aligned status, which it proclaimed back in 1990, standing at the origins of its statehood. This status is the best guarantee of her safety.

However, the goal of the West is not the security of Ukraine, but its use as a tool to fight Russia. Today’s close cooperation of the Kiev regime with NATO, even without official registration of membership in the organization, does not bring us closer to peace, but rather delays the settlement of the crisis.

A source: https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1889169/

Сообщение Interview of the Director of the Second Department of the CIS Countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia A.A.Polishchuk to the TASS news agency, June 19, 2023 появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

A detailed exchange of views took place on the issues of ensuring the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum on the normalization of domestic agricultural exports. Special attention was paid to the review of the current situation with the solution of five systemic problems – the reconnection of Rosselkhoznadzor to SWIFT; the resumption of supplies of spare parts and equipment; transport logistics and insurance; the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and the unblocking of “frozen” assets of Russian companies.

The Russian side noted the lack of progress on three of the five tasks (ammonia pipeline, reconnection to SWIFT and spare parts). Progress along these tracks is, in fact, completely blocked by Western capitals. S.V. Vershinin condemned the undermining by Ukrainians of the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline on the territory controlled by Kiev and noted that this dealt a serious blow to the very concept of the Istanbul agreements of July 22, 2022, including the “Black Sea Initiative”, an integral part of which were supplies ammonia.

In this regard, it is reaffirmed that only a speedy and effective settlement of these problems can contribute to the restoration of unhindered access of Russian food and fertilizers to world markets, which corresponds to the goals of global food security in general. The attention of the UN representatives was drawn to the fact that until now Russian producers and suppliers of agricultural products are forced to overcome numerous restrictions and barriers provoked by illegal anti-Russian sanctions related to bank payments, delivery and insurance of goods independently and at great cost, which negatively affects prices and physical availability of goods.

A source: https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1886505/

Сообщение On consultations on ensuring the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

This position was officially communicated to the Turkish and Ukrainian sides of the Black Sea Initiative, as well as to UN representatives. There were no formal objections. Thus, the agreement continues to operate for the next two months in the available parameters, without any changes in the ports involved, the nomenclature of goods and the agreed inspection procedure.

The further decision on the extension of the initiative will depend on progress in the implementation of the following conditions in the context of the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum: reconnection of Rosselkhoznadzor to SWIFT; resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and service; lifting of restrictions on insurance and reinsurance plus lifting of the ban on access to ports; restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline; unblocking of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies related to the production and transportation of food and fertilizers. Without progress in fulfilling these requirements, which are absolutely not new and should have been resolved within the framework of the Russia-UN Memorandum, our participation in the Black Sea Initiative will be suspended.

We remind you that the “Black Sea Initiative” and the Russia-UN Memorandum are integral parts of one “package” of agreements proposed by UN Secretary General A.Guterres and signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022, their implementation should be simultaneous and interrelated in order to ensure global food security and provide assistance to countries in need in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

So far, only the Ukrainian part of the “package” is being implemented, and in parameters far from the declared humanitarian goals – commercial export of feed grain to countries with high incomes and above average. Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers, including the operation of the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, remain blocked as a result of unilateral Western sanctions and Kiev’s political games. Even the gratuitous transfer of Russian fertilizers (262,000 tons) to the poorest countries is carried out with great difficulties and delays – the only delivery (20,000 tons) to Malawi was carried out in six months.

Source: Russian Foreign Ministry

Сообщение About the Istanbul Agreements появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

At the same time, we state that during the implementation of the “Black Sea initiative”, serious distortions remain both in the geography of recipients of Ukrainian food and in the nomenclature of exported products. Despite its declared humanitarian nature, goods are sent mainly to high-income countries, while poor states receive no more than 3%. At the same time, 70% of the cargo is fodder corn and feed grain. In this regard, the initiative itself was reclassified into a commercial one with an emphasis on the fact that those in need, they say, can buy food at lower prices.

However, we are increasingly hearing criticism about the insufficiently effective implementation of the agreement. In particular, the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure A. Kubrakov claims that Russia allegedly “sabotaged” the “grain deal”. Apparently, they forgot that it was Kiev’s actions to use the maritime humanitarian corridor for military purposes that led to the temporary suspension of the initiative from October 29 to November 2 and almost its disruption due to the lack of key security guarantees. In addition, it is the Ukrainians who “catch up” with bulk carriers to the port of Istanbul, pursuing exclusively selfish goals to sell “more and as soon as possible.” Thus, they artificially provoke the creation of a large congestion of ships in the harbor and the excitement around the pace of inspection.

In this regard, it should be recalled that immediately after the signing of the agreements in Istanbul on July 22, Russia began to implement them in good faith. On July 26, the Joint Coordination Center (SCC) (Russia-Turkey-Ukraine-UN) was launched, responsible for practical work on the export of Ukrainian food, and on August 1, the first dry cargo ship with fodder corn left Odessa.

At the same time, our representatives act in strict accordance with the agreed and approved rules of procedure and regulations of the SCC, including the number of inspection groups (every day each party exposes 3 groups of 2 inspectors). Some vessels do not pass the necessary inspection immediately, including due to incorrectly issued documentation for cargo transportation and a high level of fumigation in the holds (3 of our specialists have already been poisoned by smoke for grain processing). The factor of unfavorable weather conditions, including storms, which do not allow to inspect the ships, is also not taken into account.

At the same time, we state that there is still no real progress in the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum on the normalization of domestic agricultural exports. Despite the seizures for food and fertilizers declared by Westerners, including Europeans, as part of the adoption of the 9th package of anti-Russian sanctions, Russian producers and suppliers continue to face blocking of bank payments, prohibitive insurance rates and denial of access to ports. Thus, it goes no further than words and casuistry on the part of Washington, Brussels and London, while the countries in need continue to suffer not only from the crisis of affordability of food and fertilizers, but also from their physical shortage.

Even the gratuitous transfer of Russian fertilizers to the poorest countries is progressing with difficulty and delays. Part of the cargo (20,000 tons) was sent from the Netherlands to Malawi. Latvia, Estonia and Belgium continue to delay our products. The transshipment of ammonia raw materials for the production of fertilizers from Yuzhny has not been launched, the point about which is prescribed both in the “Black Sea initiative” and in the Russia-UN Memorandum. The resumption of ammonia supplies is blocked only and exclusively by Kiev, although we are talking about 7 million tons of raw materials per year, sufficient to produce 25 million tons of fertilizers to feed 150 million people.

Similar, but far from the only examples, clearly illustrate who in fact is not just not helping to ensure global food security, but is speculating on the needs of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including fertilizers, pursuing neocolonial or narrow-minded goals.

A source: https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1845153/

Сообщение On some aspects of the implementation of the Istanbul Agreements on food and fertilizers появились сначала на embassylife.ru.

A detailed discussion of all issues related to the implementation of the “package” Istanbul agreements of July 22 – the “Black Sea initiative” on the export of Ukrainian food and the Russia-UN Memorandum on the normalization of domestic exports of agricultural products and fertilizers was continued.

According to the Memorandum, the preservation of the blocking effect of unilateral sanctions on the supply of Russian products to world markets was stated, which is expressed in the lack of opportunities for bank settlements, prohibitive insurance rates and denial of access to ports. It was noted at the same time that without the establishment of supplies of our fertilizers and food, the problem of their affordability risks developing into a crisis of their physical shortage.

According to the “Black Sea initiative”, the continuation of the implementation of the agreement in the agreed parameters and modalities was confirmed during the 120-day extension period, until March 18, 2023. Currently, 580 vessels have been able to use the humanitarian sea corridor, which have exported over 14.8 million tons of grain, mainly feed (70% of cargo), mainly to developed countries (51% of supplies).

Both sides stressed the importance of ensuring the full and conscientious implementation of the Istanbul “package” Agreements in the interests of reducing threats to global food security.

A source: https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1845165/

Сообщение About the Russian-UN consultations on ensuring global food security появились сначала на embassylife.ru.