Lavrov made the comments in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo late on Saturday, the first leg of his Africa trip that will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Russia’s state-run RT.

Moscow is not asking for the lifting of sanctions, but, in order to resolve the existing issues with global food supplies, the West must take steps to eliminate obstacles that it had created itself, Lavrov stated in the joint press conference, according to Sputnik news agency.

At the same time, the minister expressed hope that the UN will succeed in lifting sanctions against Russia, which are hindering the export of Russian grain.

Lavrov recalled that the UN secretary general stood by the idea of eliminating obstacles to Ukrainian and Russian grain exports by means of one package deal – something that Russia itself insisted on. The minister noted, however, that the Western countries had tried to delay the resolution of the Russian grain exports issue for an indefinite period of time even though Russia’s grain stock is far greater than that of Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with mediation from the UN and Turkey, which established a framework for the two states resuming grain exports amid Russia’s special military operation. The document suggests that a safe corridor will be established to export grain via the Ukrainian port of Odessa. Exports will be coordinated through a dedicated center in Istanbul, and Ukrainian vessels will be checked by Turkey for any signs of smuggled weapons.

The deal, which was signed on July 22, also included provisions to ensure the flow of grain and fertilizer exports from Russia, which have been hindered by Western sanctions.

MNA/PR