MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. Russia will pursue efforts to have its domestically produced fertilizers and foodstuffs removed from the sanctions list, in order to normalize exports of these commodities, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said in a statement released on the Foreign Ministry’s website on Friday.
"We will pursue efforts to have sanctions lifted from domestically produced fertilizers and foodstuffs, [so as to] normalize export supplies [of these commodities] for the purpose of ensuring global food security and protecting the interests of [Russia’s] partners among the nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East," he said at the 11th International Meeting of High Representatives in Charge of Security Issues.
"Russia has been and remains not only one of the key suppliers of agricultural products worldwide, but also continues to responsibly and fairly meet its international obligations for the export of agricultural products, fertilizers, energy resources and other critical commodities," Vershinin noted. "We are well aware of the necessity of socially significant supplies, including foodstuffs, which are critical for the comprehensive development of countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, including their successful achievement of food provision figures and sustainable development targets," he noted.
Russia’s agricultural sector overall is demonstrating solid positive dynamics, the diplomat stressed.
Despite sanctions-related barriers and restrictions, Moscow is maintaining its export potential, including through redirecting supplies to friendly countries, first of all Asian and African nations, he added.