Sanctions Against Russia Affecting All, Global Food Crisis Looming-Mali's Foreign Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2022) Western sanctions have paralyzed the economic system, which has already affected poorer countries and could cause a global food crisis, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told Sputnik.

"We have just started to assess the whole situation. But we can already say that prices for all products have gone up... Banking operations may also be affected. This created difficulties and paralyzed the economic system. And, of course, this primarily hits poor countries," Diop said.

He emphasized that Russia and Ukraine are the largest wheat producers in the world and poorer countries, which have a high dependence on wheat, are now seeing shortages that will negatively affect the global economic situation.

"We can see Russia's willingness to help Mali cope with this situation and appreciate these efforts to ensure Mali's access to grain, fertilizers and other resources. Regardless of the will of Mali, Western sanctions generally affect everyone. Obviously, this will affect the food situation in the world," Diop told Sputnik, adding that statistical data provided by international organizations shows that "food security problems cause far more casualties than terrorist attacks."