Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation
The Secretary-General met with the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Sergey V. Lavrov.
They discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as the situations in Afghanistan and Syria.
With regard to the “Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports” (also referred to as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, BSGI), the Secretary-General expressed concerns about the recent obstacles encountered by the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in its daily operations. He presented the Foreign Minister with a letter to President Vladimir Putin, outlining a proposed way forward aimed at the improvement, extension and expansion of the BSGI, taking into account positions recently expressed by the parties and the risks posed by global food insecurity. A similar letter has been addressed to the two other signatories to the agreement.
The Secretary-General also took note of the concerns expressed by the Russian Federation on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Federation and the Secretariat of the United Nations on promoting Russian food products and fertilizers to the world markets. He provided a detailed report on the progress already achieved in this regard and reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to continue working to address remaining issues.
The Secretary-General also updated Foreign Minister Lavrov on the efforts of the Secretariat to address host country issues, notably in relation to visas for Russian officials.