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Senior Russian diplomat informs French envoy of lack of progress on Russian food exports

The two parties also discussed current UN activities and reform of the Security Council, as well as a number of regional conflicts and global food security issues

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. No progress has been made on Russian fertilizer and food exports under the Black Sea grain initiative, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin informed French Ambassador to Moscow Pierre Levy, according to a statement released by Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

At a meeting on Wednesday, held at the French envoy’s initiative, the Russian diplomat shared his assessment with the French diplomat of the situation surrounding implementation of the Istanbul agreement. Vershinin "emphasized the need to follow through on the declared humanitarian goals under the Black Sea initiative, which was presented as an effort to help countries in need and minimize the risks of famine," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

According to Russia’s MFA, the two sides also discussed current UN activities and reform of the Security Council, as well as a number of regional conflicts and global food security issues. "In particular, bilateral cooperation on Mali and Libya under the auspices of the UN Security Council and a range of other pressing issues on the regional and international agenda were considered," the ministry added.

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