G20 leaders urge ‘full implementation’ of Black Sea grain deal

World leaders, gathered at the G20 summit in Bali, have called for the “full implementation” of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, stressing its importance for maintaining global food security. 

Members said they “welcomed” the UN-brokered grain deal and its efforts to “ease tension and prevent global food insecurity and hunger in developing countries,” in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports CNN. 

“We emphasize the importance of their full, timely and continued implementation by all relevant stakeholders, as well as the UN Secretary-General’s calls for continuation of these efforts by the Parties,” the leaders stressed in the declaration, published as the summit in Bali, Indonesia, wrapped Wednesday.  

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday cast doubt on the future of the agreement, which was negotiated to allow the safe passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain and ease a global food crisis inflamed by the war.

The G20 said that it has also taken note of other initiatives to tackle the issue of food insecurity, name-checking the Arab Coordination Group’s $10 billion package to address the issue.

US President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan both agreed that the grain deal has been “critical to improving global food security amid Russia’s war,” and emphasised the need for its continued implementation at a bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Russia state media RIA Novosti that Moscow’s decision on the extension of the grain deal will be made taking into account the implementation of the Russia-UN memorandum on the export of Russian fertilisers and agricultural products.