India has been supplying food grains to several nations affected by a spike in food prices, but has no plans to join Ukraine grain initiative, says External Affairs Minister Arindam Bagchi.
We have been extending assistance to fellow countries from the global south bilaterally. I don’t have any clarity whether we will join, probably not, because our focus has been on bilateral South-South mechanisms,” Mr.Bagchi said.
“As of now, I have no intimation that we are looking to join this initiative,” he added.
The Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports also called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, is an agreement between Russia and Ukraine made with Turkey and the United Nations during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
India’s focus is on extending bilateral assistance, including through grain supplies, to countries affected by food insecurity. “We have extended such assistance to various countries, in Africa particularly but in other places also, in the last few months,” he said.
Mr.Bagchi added, “India did not receive any request from Ukraine for the supply of (EGE) Electricity Generating Equipment, though we have been extended humanitarian assistance to the country. The issue of humanitarian assistance also came up in a recent phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
