Lavrov Supports Lifting Restrictions on Russian Agricultural Products

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated during a press conference following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry that agricultural producers in Russia are committed to fulfilling all obligations for supplying products to Egypt, according to Коммерсант.

According to Lavrov, the "commercial agreement" signed in Istanbul should facilitate this, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has supported the lifting of restrictions on Russian agricultural products. The minister emphasized that the Russian Federation relies on this assistance and that Russia is not asking for the removal of sanctions; instead, the economy will develop through collaboration with "reliable" partners.

"We have reaffirmed the commitment of Russian exporters in the grain sector to fulfill all their obligations. President Putin stated this when he recently spoke with the President of Egypt. We have discussed specific criteria for cooperation in this area, agreed to maintain further communications between the relevant ministries, and we share a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis," Lavrov said.

Lavrov also accused Western partners of deceit, as they claimed that sanctions had not been imposed on food. The Russian minister stated that while sanctions on actual food products had not been applied, restrictive measures have affected companies working with food, highlighting that the Agricultural Bank, which handles all payments for food products in Russia, was one of the first to be subjected to sanctions.

Speaking about the agreement signed in Istanbul, the minister noted that it is the result of the UN Secretary-General's package initiative. The first part of the initiative relates to the unblocking of Ukrainian ports, which are mined by the Ukrainian authorities, while the second part pertains to unblocking the supply of Russian grain.

"For more than two months, the Russian Federation has been calling on everyone to utilize the humanitarian corridors we have established in the Black Sea for Ukrainian grain," Lavrov said.

Earlier, the UN announced its intention to create a working group to coordinate issues related to the export of agricultural products from Russia with the private sector and states, focusing on finance, insurance, and logistics. This was stated by UN Deputy Secretary-General Farhan Haq.

It is noteworthy that on July 22, an agreement was signed in Istanbul regarding the unblocking of grain supplies.