President of the African Union, the Senegalese Head of State was visiting Paris where he must meet Emmanuel Macron.
Interview by
President in office of the African Union (AU), Macky Sall must speak on Friday, June 10, with Emmanuel Macron. A visit that comes a week after the meeting between the Senegalese head of state and his Russian counterpart in Sochi, on the edges of the Black Sea.
During this exchange, Macky Sall asked for the unlocking of cereals and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia who have not succeeded on the continent since the start of the war in February and threaten the food security of millions of Africans .
You said you were reassured by your meeting with Vladimir Putin. What insurance have you received from him?
Macky Sall what reassures me first, is that we have been able to explain the expectations of the African continent at length. Those who fall under Russia and those who fall under other parties such as the European Union (EU) or the United States, which imposed sanctions which caused supply difficulties. What Vladimir Putin told me is that as a function of availability in the port of Odessa and provided that Ukraine removes the mines it has posed, Russia is willing not to intervene in this Region during these [cereal transport] operations would be with the help of the United Nations or other partners.
for you, it is the Western sanctions that are responsible for this blockage or, as the Said the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the Kremlin who voluntarily maintains food insecurity?
We are undergoing both ailments. First there are the consequences of the war in Ukraine. But the sanctions that hit Russia, including blocking the SWIFT payment system, have disabled countries like ours to access Russian products. For the payment of gas, a mechanism could be found.
We therefore ask that it is the same for logistical difficulties in ports and allow payment of cereals and fertilizers with which we cultivate. We produce on average with 17 kg of fertilizers per hectare when in Europe, 100 kg per hectare are used. Our agriculture is already not very productive. But if there are no more fertilizers or the price is multiplied by three, there will be really a risk of famine in the coming months.
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