Lavrov Confirms Russia’s Commitment to Food Export Obligations to Africa
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sergei Lavrov (R) arrives for a meeting with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor (not seen) at the OR Tambo Building in Pretoria on January 23, 2023. 
InternationalIndiaAfricaMASSAWA, Eritrea (Sputnik) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed during his visit to Eritrea Russia’s commitment to its obligations relative to food exports to African countries in need, including those stemming from the deals brokered with the participation of the United Nations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. This week, Lavrov traveled to South Africa, Eswatini, Angola and Eritrea, which was the last country on his Sub-Saharan Africa tour. The visit was the first one at foreign minister level since the establishment of Russian-Eritrean diplomatic relations in 1993. “Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s unconditional commitment to fulfilling all of its obligations under export contracts to send critical food supplies to African countries in need, including under the package agreements reached with the participation of the UN,” the ministry said in a statement published on Thursday. Lavrov told the Eritrean leadership about the purposes and objectives of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine and discussed preparations for the upcoming second Russia-Africa summit, scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg in July. 
AfricaLavrov Says US, EU Countries Seeking to Restore Africa’s Colonial Dependence07:17 GMTThe summit’s agenda will include the four key topics of food, energy security, health care and the exchange of technology, the top Russian diplomat said. “With regard to the transfer of technologies, it will be of special importance for African countries in terms of overcoming their dependence on external factors,” Lavrov said. In July 2022, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that most of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not reach the world’s poorest countries and ended up in Europe. At the same time, Putin has voiced his concerns that Russian products are not entering the global markets as promised under the agreement.
