Blinken Says World Should Ensure Sanctions Don't Impact Food, Medicine Access

The international community must ensure that sanctions regimes do not adversely impact access to food and medicine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday during remarks at a food security ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2022) The international community must ensure that sanctions regimes do not adversely impact access to food and medicine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday during remarks at a food security ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"It's true, there are a multiplicity of initiatives. We need to make sure that they are acting and working together, that all of this is coherent and all of this is coordinated. One way that we can do that is to ensure that sanctions do not impair access to food or medicine in any country, beyond just Russia and Ukraine," Blinken said.

The US intends to work with UN Security Council members to ensure that food and medicine are carved out across UN and domestic sanctions regimes, Blinken added.

The statement comes amid complaints by Russia that western sanctions are de facto impacting their ability to export food and agricultural products despite de jure guarantees that such goods could be shipped.