(VOVWORLD) -Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative on a condition that the final terms are met. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said at a briefing on Friday that Moscow continues to export food, taking into account the concerns of countries in need.
 Harvesting wheat in Stavropol, Russia (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
TASS news agency quoted Vershinin as saying that the conditions include safe and verifiable passage of ships travelling to the Black Sea ports, the normal operation of the Togliatti-Odessa amoniac pipeline, and the reconnection for Russia’s Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT.
He said that after all President Putin’s conditions are met, Russia will be ready to consider different options to continue to export grain to the world. He added that there is no replacement for the grain initiative.
The Black Sea Grains Initiative expired on July 17 and involved parties have failed to renew it. The agreement, which maintained Ukrainian grain exports through ports in the Black Sea during the conflict, was signed by Russia and Ukraine with the mediation of the UN and Turkey last July and has been renewed several times.