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Russia ships over 2000 tonnes of wheat as humanitarian aid to NK

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ANI Asia
Last Updated : Mar 04 2019 | 7:05 PM IST

In the wake of the North Korea food crisis, Russia has contributed over 2000 tonnes of wheat to the country as part of humanitarian aid.

Russian Embassy in Pyongyang reported that the aid arrived in the North Korean port of Chongjin on Monday.

"Over the weekend, the staff of the Russian Consulate General in Chongjin visited the city port where a ceremony to receive humanitarian aid from Russia was held. Consul General Yuri Bochkarev inspected the cargo (2,092 tonnes of wheat), after which he climbed aboard the ship and talked with the captain and crew," Russian News Agency TASS reported the embassy as saying.

Earlier last month, a United Nations report revealed that around 43 per cent of North Korea's population is "food insecure", with one out of five children facing "chronic malnutrition".

The report had further outlined that humanitarian assistance in the tune of USD 10 million would be required by the United Nations to extend aid to around 5,13,000 North Koreans who are believed to be in dire need.

Furthermore, humanitarian assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is being hampered by sanctions against the nation. Pyongyang has repeatedly asked for relief in sanctions in exchange for the denuclearization steps which have been taken by the nation.

However, the United States has reinforced that the sanctions will be in place until a complete denuclearization is not achieved - a stand which directly affects the food insecurity situation.

The Hanoi Summit held last month between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un did not yield an agreement on the denuclearization of North Korea.

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First Published: Mar 04 2019 | 5:46 PM IST

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