MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. The Russian side has donated 1,630 tons of grain to Ethiopia as food aid to refugees in the Gambela region, a source in Russia’s embassy in the republic told TASS.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) welcomed the move, the source added.
"The donation is vital as the WFP is facing a depletion of resources for food aid. The donation by the Russian Federation will enable the UN WFP to provide food aid to 163,240 refugees in the Ethiopian region of Gambela," the embassy said, adding that amid a severe shortage of financing the majority of refugees supported by the WFP only receive 60% of their minimum daily food needs.
Russian Ambassador to Addis Ababa Yevgeny Terekhin, who participated in the grain supply ceremony, which took place in the UN WFP logistics hub, said that the countries are connected by "long-established strong friendly relations." He also noted that in the second half of the 1980s, during the so-called devastating famine, the Soviet Union provided humanitarian aid to Ethiopia. "Now we continue this friendly tradition of providing help to our Ethiopian brothers and sisters. We hope that Russian grain supplies will help Ethiopia assist the population in need in regions affected by the drought," the diplomat stressed.
Terekhin also thanked deeply colleagues from the WFP for assisting in ensuring transportation and distribution of grain.
"Russia cooperates closely with the UN World Food Program, which is involved in providing emergency food aid. Our country finances the activities of the WFP to the tune of around $60-70 mln each year. Those funds are spent on purchases of food, including from Russia, which is later delivered to conflict zones. I am thoroughly convinced that the close cooperation between UN contributing countries and agencies, with the WFP being the most notable among them, is crucial for saving lives across the globe," he emphasized.