AMMAN, November 3. /TASS/. Russia has once again called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to fulfill his obligations under the grain deal in relation to Russia’s export, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Hussein Abdullah al-Safadi on Thursday.
"We have called on the [UN] secretary-general once again, and I spoke in detail about this with Mr. Minister [al-Safadi] and his colleagues today, to ensure that he fulfills the obligations he has assumed in accordance with his own initiative," Lavrov said.
He believes that the most serious measures should be taken in the near future regarding the Russian part of the grain deal.
"With regard to the second part of this package (grain deal - TASS), as I’ve said, the most serious measures should be taken in the near future, especially because if one takes into account the amount of fertilizers and grain in question, these volumes available from Russia will turn out to be immeasurably greater than that of the corresponding Ukrainian commodities," Lavrov said.
He also expressed the hope that the countries that "keep obstacles" in the way of Russian exports will also realize their responsibility as the grain deal’s supporters.
On July 22, a package of agreements was signed in Istanbul for solving the problem of food and fertilizer supplies to world markets. The memorandum between Russia and the UN provides for the UN’s involvement in efforts to remove anti-Russian restrictions that impede the export of farm produce and fertilizers. Another document describes a mechanism for the export of grain from Kiev-controlled Black Sea ports. Created by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul is tasked to inspect bulk carriers to prevent weapons smuggling and provocations.