President of Senegal and Chairman of the African Union Macky Sall believes it is necessary to lift anti-Russian sanctions on international grain and fertilizer supplies. He said this on Friday in Sochi after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia-24 television channel broadcast the event.
"Sanctions against Russia have worsened the situation with the supply of grain and fertilizers to African countries. We have no access to them. And this has consequences in terms of food security of the continent," he said. Sall said his country "is in favor of lifting anti-Russian sanctions on grains and fertilizers".
Macky Sall emphasized Russia's important role in the African continent's history and expressed hope for increased cooperation. "Russia, indeed, played a huge role in the establishment of African independence. <...> It is in the name of this friendship that I am here. We have high hopes for bilateral cooperation between Russia and the African continent, but we are also here to talk about the crisis [related to the situation around Ukraine] and its consequences," he said.
The president of Senegal noted that "despite a lot of pressure, many African countries have not condemned Russia's position on Ukraine". A number of countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have the same opinion about the current situation, according to Senegal.
As reported earlier by the Kremlin press service, the decision on the visit of Macky Sall to Russia was made during the May 10 meeting of the enlarged bureau of the African Union. As reported by the Senegalese Press Agency, citing representatives of the AU, "the trip falls within the efforts of the AU president to assist in resolving the conflict in Ukraine, as well as unblocking the grain and fertilizer situation, which negatively affects African countries".
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS