The Foreign Ministry pointed out to the head of UNCTAD the lack of progress in the export of agricultural products of the Russian Federation

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Vershinin pointed out to Rebecca Greenspan, Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the lack of progress in accessing agricultural products from Russia to world markets. About it informed press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“On the Russian side, attention was drawn to the fact that there are still obstacles to access to the world market for these products, and there is no real progress in solving systemic problems in the financial, transport and logistics sectors,” the report says.

The grain deal was extended in mid-March until May 18. On April 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the situation around the agreement had reached a dead end. The minister pointed to the unwillingness to remove obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers, despite their shortage, and also to connect Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. The Kremlin called the prospects for extending the agreement “not very good.”

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that food prices on world markets would rise again if Russia’s demands on the grain deal were not met. According to him, as part of the negotiations, discussions continue on reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT.

The agreement itself was concluded on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Turkey and the UN, on the one hand, and representatives of Russia and Ukraine, on the other. Separate agreements were concluded with Moscow and Kiev: the first was for the export of Ukrainian grain from three ports, including Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk, and the second was for assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. Moscow has repeatedly noted that the second part of the deal is not being implemented.