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Russia, US bicker at UN over donating fertiliser to Syria

March 1, 2023 at 2:57 pm

A farmer drives a sprayer to apply fertilizer on wheat [Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images]

Russia and the United States bickered, on Tuesday, over whether Russian fertiliser could be donated to Syria as Moscow heightens complaints about obstacles to its fertiliser shipments before the renewal of a deal allowing Ukraine Black Sea grain exports, Reuters reports.

Some 260,000 tonnes of Russian fertiliser has been stuck in several European ports, most of it in Latvia. Russian fertiliser producer, Uralchem-Uralkali, has been working with the United Nations to donate the fertiliser to countries in need.

In November, a shipment of the fertiliser – relied on by many countries to boost farm yields – was delivered to Malawi and a second shipment is due to be delivered to Kenya in March.

“Food and fertilisers are not under sanctions,” UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said. “That being said, it’s not a secret that there are a number of challenges – regulatory and others – that have to be overcome.”

During a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said a donation of the fertiliser held at European ports could not be made to Syria because of US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act, which came into force in June 2020.

The fertilisers are considered a dual-use product, minimising the chances of them being sent, Polyanskiy said.

READ: Black Sea grain deal is result of Turkiye’s mediator role, says President Erdogan

“We once again call upon the UN Secretariat to address the problems of the negative consequences of sanctions against Syria and, in particular, to ensure that this shipment of our fertilisers is dispatched to the country,” he said.

US Deputy UN Ambassador, Robert Wood, said the United States “is not the cause of any reported delays in Russia’s ability to deliver fertiliser to Syria, as claimed by Russia.”

“If Russia wants to donate fertiliser, it can do so. Russia should work directly with the UN to distribute agricultural donations inside Syria to its local partners,” Wood told the Council.

Facilitating Russian fertiliser exports is a major part of a package deal brokered by the United Nations last July that saw the resumption of grain exports from certain Ukrainian Black Sea ports amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

It was extended in November for four months and is due to again be renewed in March.

Dujarric said that senior UN trade official, Rebeca Grynspan, has been working hard on getting more Russian fertiliser out to the world market.

“There’s nothing we would like to see more than to see much needed fertiliser reach farmers in the developing countries, notably in Africa, where it’s desperately needed,” Dujarric told reporters.