UN Wants Black Sea Grain Deal Extended Beyond March 18 - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2023) The United Nations would like to see the Black Sea Grain Initiative extended beyond March 18, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

"The UN Coordinator emphasized that the extension of the initiative beyond 18th of March would allow for the considerable achievements to date to be further built upon," Dujarric told a briefing

The shipments under the deal improve food security around the world, he stated.

Earlier in the day, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia told Sputnik that Russia has not yet been able to export any food as part of the grain deal due to sanctions.

Moscow expects that part of the Russian fertilizers blocked in European ports will be sent to Eswatini, and has asked the UN to help resolve this issue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that Russia and Eswatini would appeal to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to promptly send the stuck Russian fertilizers to the African state. As of now, it is unclear whether Russia will agree to extend the grain deal beyond March 18.

On July 22, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey signed a UN-brokered agreement to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships exporting food and fertilizer from Black Sea ports, including the Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhne, amid the special military operation.

The grain deal was extended in November for 120 days. Russia has criticized the deal for failing to ensure fair distribution of food and fertilizer exports and for shipping the lion's share to developed countries.