Lavrov, Guterres discuss the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Middle East

New York, (ST) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East and the grain deal.

RT website quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement: The two sides discussed the situation in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, issues of cooperation between Moscow and the United Nations, and the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative.

The statement indicated that Lavrov reiterated in detail the root causes of the current Ukrainian crisis, and the course and objectives of the special military operation focused on eliminating threats surrounding Russia’s national security.

Lavrov also strongly criticized Western countries for using the UN program to promote politicized anti-Russian initiatives, which only serve to prolong the current crisis.

For his part, Guterres, the Russian Foreign Minister, carried a message to President Vladimir Putin about extending the Istanbul Agreement for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

Lavrov said that the Secretary-General spoke about his efforts to continue the grain agreement, noting that the progress, “frankly”, is not very noticeable.

“The Secretary-General conveyed his ideas to us in a letter outlining ways to continue the agreement, and this message needs to be studied,” Lavrov added.

Lavrov stressed that Moscow does not see the desire of Western countries to implement what is necessary for the success of the initiative.

The grain deal signed by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations on July 22, 2022 includes the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizers from three ports through a humanitarian corridor opened by the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

On the other hand, Lavrov expressed his support for the idea of moving the United Nations headquarters from the United States to another country.

Meanwhile, Guterres informed the Russian minister of the efforts of the international organization to resolve the situation with the United States, the host country, especially with regard to the issue of not issuing visas to representatives of Russia.

The Russian Foreign Minister arrived at the United Nations headquarters yesterday, where he chaired the meetings of the UN Security Council.

Raghda Sawas