ROME, April 10. /TASS/. The move to relocate the 34th session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Europe from Chisinau to Rome is fully in line with the organizations’ charter, the Russian mission said in a statement.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow had succeeded in making sure that the event was relocated from the Moldovan capital of Chisinau to Rome amid Moldova’s attempts to prevent Russia’s delegation from participating.
An announcement was made on Tuesday that the session would be relocated.
"Ever since Moldova said it was unwilling to welcome the Russian delegation to the session, we have been working closely with the FAO Secretariat, consistently clarifying our position that it’s highly ineffective - if not absurd - to discuss agricultural development in Europe and Central Asia without one of the major producers of food, agricultural products and fertilizers. In the era of globalization, regional food security, like any other security, can only be achieved when the views of all countries are taken into account," the statement reads.
Russia’s delegation, led by the country's Permanent Representative to FAO Igor Golubovsky, will involve agricultural and food experts, as well as experts on the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The event was initially expected to be held in Chisinau on May 14-17. A FAO official told TASS that formal invitations would soon be sent to member states, indicating the new location.