Russian Delegation Rolls Out Set of Proposals at Grain Talks in Turkey - MoD

© RIA Novosti . Alexandr Lyskin / Go to the mediabankGrain crop. File photo.
Grain crop. File photo. - Sputnik International, 1920, 13.07.2022
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Earlier in the day, a diplomatic source told Sputnik that the process of establishing a secure corridor for the export Ukrainian grain from ports in the Black Sea may take up to one month to formalize, and that Turkey and the United Nations would be tasked with monitoring the implementation of any agreement.
The Russian military delegation at the Istanbul grain talks has rolled out a comprehensive package of measures aimed at enabling the sea-based export of Ukrainian foodstuffs, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov has announced.

"The Russian delegation has prepared and submitted for consideration a package of proposals for the speedy and practical solution to this issue," Konashenkov said Wednesday.

The spokesman confirmed that representatives from Russia's Defense Ministry were engaged in four-party talks with their colleagues from Turkey, UN officials and a delegation from Ukraine.
Konashenkov did not elaborate on the details of the proposals put forth by the Russian side at the closed-door negotiations. However, earlier in the day, a diplomatic source told Sputnik that Moscow would seek to tie negotiations to the removal of certain "obstacles" created by Western sanctions on the export of food from Russia itself.
"This issue cannot be ignored. There are obstacles for the Russian side in the field of ship insurance, logistics, transportation services and banking operations in connection with the imposed sanctions," the source said.
Trucks filled with grain. File photo. - Sputnik International, 1920, 13.07.2022
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Also on Wednesday, a source told Turkey's Haberturk TV that Ankara is prepared to serve as a guarantor of the demining process in the Black Sea in the hopes that this will lead to the formation of safe corridors for the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports, many of which are now under the control of Russian forces.
Amid fears that the block on Ukrainian grain exports could lead to further increases in food prices and possible widespread hunger or even famine in the countries of the Global South, the UN has called for urgent action to resolve the matter. The US and its allies have blamed Russia, claiming that Moscow is deliberately blocking grain shipments in hopes of further increasing prices and cornering the market.
Russian officials have dismissed these allegations as nonsensical, saying the West's Ukrainian client state was the party that made exports via the Black Sea unsafe for shipping by planting naval mines along the coast. Moscow has also pointed to Western sanctions targeting Russian food and fertilizer exports, which it says has the potential to further exacerbate the looming crisis. Last month, Senegalese President and African Union chief Macky Sall warned that the West's sanctions on Russian foodstuffs threaten to undermine the continent's food security and leave it without adequate access to both grain and fertilizers.
Granular potash fertilizer. File photo. - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.06.2022
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Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are major agricultural powers, with Russia and Ukraine alone accounting for some 30 percent of global wheat exports, 20 percent of maize exports, and 16 percent of fertilizer exports. Russia and Belarus together are also among the biggest global producers and exporters of nitrogen fertilizers - which require large amounts of energy to make.
Oleg Kobiakov of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization has warned that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and Western sanctions on Russian food exports may exacerbate the impact of a series of food security-related problems already faced by developing countries over the past two-and-a-half years.
"According to statistics for 2021, the number of people suffering from hunger in the world reached 828 million, which is about 150 million more than in the pre-COVID year 2019," Kobiakov said, speaking at a virtual event on global food security hosted by Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent company, on Tuesday. The UN official warned that developing African and Asian nations' food security has already been undermined by the impact of a series of other calamities, including local military conflicts, natural disasters, economic upheaval and rampant inflation.
Pointing to the FAO's proposal of the creation of an international fund to support the export of food, fertilizers and energy to developing nations, Kobiakov stressed that progress in this area would only be possible if UN members acted in a concerted fashion.
An Indian farmer carries wheat crop harvested from a field on the outskirts of Jammu, India,  April 28, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 07.07.2022
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