On March 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said that the continuation of the “grain agreement” is possible provided that Russia’s interests are taken into account.
Informs: Konstantin Kryvopust
The meeting of diplomats took place in New Delhi, India, where the ministers of the G20 countries gathered.
“During the discussion of the prospects for the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Russian side emphasized that the continuation of the “package” agreement on grain is possible only if the interests of Russian producers of agricultural products and fertilizers are taken into account in terms of unhindered access to world markets,” – writes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Ukraine has repeatedly stated that Russian inspectors of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) artificially block the full-fledged work of the “grain initiative” and violate free navigation in the Black Sea. In particular, approximately 140 vessels are waiting for inspection by the SCC in the Bosphorus, and Ukrainian ports are operating at only 30% of their capacity. At the same time, the movement of Russian ships in the Black Sea is not limited to regular inspections, moreover, the volume of cargo transported by the Azov and Black Seas was approximately 250 million tons in 2022.