Russia Will Continue Cooperation With UN for 'Concrete' Results on Grain Deal: Foreign Ministry
© Sputnik / Alexey Maishev
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will continue to cooperate with the United Nations within the grain deal to achieve concrete results and to establish food security in low-income countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Monday.
"The issue concerns reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT and the provision of insurance and financial transactions that cover agricultural exports from Russia. We will continue to work with UN representatives to ensure that the memorandum is being realized and is producing concrete results within the goals, which created the basis of this initiative: to ensure food security in the world, specifically in the poorest countries," Vershinin told Russian reporters following the talks with Turkish officials in Istanbul.
The deputy foreign minister also said that Moscow has not yet received any concrete results of the second part of the package, which presupposed unhampered access and exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers.
On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that most of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not make it to the world's poorest countries and ended up in Europe. Putin has also voiced his concerns that Russian products are not entering the global markets as promised by the agreement.
The grain deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 18, has been extended for another 120 days on November 17.
Istanbul is a convenient platform for contacts between Russia and the United States, but Moscow does not see any constructive approach from Washington, Vershinin said.
"Such contacts are conducted on a separate track. Istanbul is a convenient platform for such contacts. I can say that any contacts are useful, but, unfortunately, we do not see a constructive approach from the American side, aimed at concrete results," Vershinin told Russian journalists following the talks with the Turkish side in Istanbul.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said last week that Russia and the US were holding a meeting in Istanbul to discuss the work of diplomatic missions. The meeting in Istanbul did not indicate the resumption of contacts of Russia with the US on major topics, the diplomat noted, adding that this was a technical meeting.
Moscow maintains very close contacts with the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) and trusts the expertise and knowledge of the watchdog, Sergey Vershinin said.
"As for the Zaporozhye NPP, which is located on Russian territory and under Russian control, as you know, we maintain very close contacts with the IAEA. We trust the expertise and knowledge of this organization. A substantive discussion is underway to ensure that this peaceful nuclear facility does not pose a threat due to the reckless actions of the Ukrainian side for the civilian population not only in the region but also in other areas," Vershinin told Russian journalists following the talks in Istanbul.
"As for the Zaporozhye NPP, which is located on Russian territory and under Russian control, as you know, we maintain very close contacts with the IAEA. We trust the expertise and knowledge of this organization. A substantive discussion is underway to ensure that this peaceful nuclear facility does not pose a threat due to the reckless actions of the Ukrainian side for the civilian population not only in the region but also in other areas," Vershinin told Russian journalists following the talks in Istanbul.
When asked whether Russia is counting on the participation of the Turkish side in the process of ensuring the security of the ZNPP, the diplomat said that Moscow is conducting contacts on the plant through the IAEA.
