UN says doing its utmost to implement all aspects of Istanbul grain deal

NEW YORK, the United Nations. March 13 (Interfax) - The United Nations is working with all parties involved in the Istanbul grain deal and making every possible effort to preserve it, the UN secretary-general's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

"We are continuously working with the private sector, with the Russian Federation, with the European Union, with United Kingdom, with the United States and others to facilitate that into fully implement," Dujarric said in a press briefing on Monday.

Asked about the possibility of extending the deal by 60 days voiced by the Russian party, he said he would not go into details right now. Dujarric added that information on the UN stance on the issue would likely come from Geneva, where the UN and Russian representatives held talks on the grain deal on Monday.

"We will do everything possible to preserve the integrity of the agreement and ensure its continuity," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said Russia had no objections to extending the grain deal, but only for 60 days, while the further stance would be determined depending on real progress on normalizing Russian agricultural exports.