By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it would work to restore a vital Black Sea grain deal that Russia scrapped last week, warning that the move threatened global food security and hurt developing countries.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was visiting Islamabad, said his country and other nations in Asia and Africa would suffer the most from Russia’s decision to pull out of the deal that aimed to boost grain exports from the region.
“By doing so, Russia significantly undermined global food security that would result in a hike in global food prices,” Kuleba told a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan had a strong interest in the deal’s restoration and would raise the issue with the United Nations and other countries.
“The war in Ukraine brought difficulties for developing countries, particularly in terms of fuel, food and fertiliser shortages and Pakistan was no exception,” Bhutto-Zardari said.
He also denied reports that Pakistan was supplying arms to Ukraine, which is locked in a conflict with Russia-backed separatists in its eastern regions.
Kuleba thanked Pakistan for providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and said the two countries agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially food security.
Kuleba also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who expressed concern over the impact of the Ukraine conflict on global stability and urged a diplomatic solution.
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