MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Russia's fertilizers and food exports continue despite all obstacles from the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"Exports of our fertilizers and food products continue, we support relevant operations, bypassing both geographical routes and other technological obstacles built by the West," he said.
Lavrov noted that Western sanctions have made it hard to export Russian fertilizers and grain through routes involving the countries of the European Union. According to him, restrictions made "the work of the Russian Agricultural Bank to ensure exports impossible," and "insurance rates soared" after British insurance company Lloyd's of London included the Black Sea route on its list of dangerous routes.
"The West's attitude towards this deal is outrageous," the minister added.
On July 22, 2022, a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. Initially, the agreements were concluded for 120 days, in November of last year they were extended for the same period. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to evaluate the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN. On May 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the grain deal had been extended for two months starting May 18.