UN Proposes 4 Points Of Plan For Russia To Return To Black Sea Deal

JAKARTA - United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed a four-point plan to revive the Black Sea seed deal.

Guterres detailed his plans in a letter he sent to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on August 28.

Citing Antara, the plan is expected to provide access to SWIFT financial transactions to Russian Agricultural Bank (RAB) subsidiaries and allow Russian ships to dock on European ports if they only deliver food or fertilizer, according to the daily news.

Guterres also proposed that the United Nations could support an insurance facility for Russian cargo ships and offer assistance for the return of assets of frozen Russian fertilizer producers, the daily report.

"The PBB will work with the relevant national authorities and EU authorities on this matter," Guterres said.

In exchange, Guterres asked Russia to return to the Black Sea seed deal, which was signed by Kiev and Moscow last year.

Russia has refused to extend the seed deal last July and has complained that the West is not fulfilling its obligations, and that it is still banning the country's food and fertilizer exports.

Moscow specifically criticized restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry had confirmed that there were several new proposals from the United Nations to restore the seed deal, but stressed that the proposals were not enough to normalize agricultural exports.