Macky Sall, the Senegalese leader and current president of the African Union (AU), called for the removal of mines in the Ukrainian port of Odessa this Thursday (9) to allow grain exports to his continent. He also said he had received assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin that his forces would not attack the area.
In an interview with French networks France 24 and RFI, Sall said that if grain exports did not resume, Africa would “be in a state of very serious famine that could destabilize the continent.”
The African continent is very dependent on grain imports from Ukraine and Russia, as well as fertilizers necessary for its low-yield agriculture.
“In most African countries, if fertilizers don’t arrive in winter (rainy season), it means there will be no harvest,” he explained.
Last week, the head of Senegal and the AU met with his Russian counterpart.
Moscow’s assurance that Russia would not oppose the departure of Ukrainian wheat from Odessa if the waters were mine-free, “Unless there is evidence to the contrary, I have no evidence to object.”
They even say that if the Ukrainians remove the mines (the Russians) they will enter the port. No, he reassures that they won’t go in, and that’s a commitment he made,” he said.
“Now we must work to remove the mines with the participation of the UN and all interested parties to start buying Ukrainian wheat,” he said.
Sall will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron this Friday and ask him to lift European sanctions against Russia, particularly the removal of Russian banks from the Swift system.
On Wednesday, Ukraine said it would not clear the waters around the Odessa port to allow grain exports: “Once we clear access to the Odessa port, the Russian fleet will be there,” the regional port said. government spokesman Sergiy Bratchuk.
source: Noticias
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