MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. At a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow's readiness to return to participation in the grain deal only if all obligations to the Russian side are actually fulfilled.
"In response to a question from the UN Secretary General about the prospects for resuming the Black Sea Initiative, Lavrov reiterated Moscow's position, voiced by Russian President [Vladimir Putin], that it is ready to return to participation in it only if all obligations to the Russian side are actually fulfilled," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued after the meeting of the parties on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
During the conversation, issues of the UN activities were also touched upon.
"Lavrov confirmed Russia's focus on developing mutually beneficial cooperation with it [UN]. At the same time, he emphasized the need for strict adherence by representatives of the UN secretariat to the principle of impartiality of international officials, enshrined in Article 100 of its Charter," the Russian diplomatic mission stressed.
"Both sides noted the importance of further strengthening the central coordinating role of the UN in global politics."
The implementation of the grain deal, an agreement on a corridor for ships with Ukrainian grain concluded in July 2022, was terminated on July 17. Russia notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN of its objection to its extension from July 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously noted that the terms of the deal with Russia were not met, despite the efforts of the UN, because Western countries were not going to keep their promises. The Russian leader repeatedly pointed out that the West exported most of the Ukrainian grain to their states, while the main goal of the deal, which is to supply grain to needy countries, including African ones, was never implemented.