Russia temporarily halts wheat shipments to Syria

Reuters reported on Friday that two ships carrying Russian wheat have not yet reached their Syrian destinations. An insider close to the Russian government said that exporters are reluctant to ship wheat to Syria under the current circumstances. It is unclear who will be responsible for handling wheat imports in the future after the change of government in Damascus. No one wants to take the risk of transporting wheat under the current circumstances, the source said. Ship movement data shows that one of the ships involved, the Mikhail Nenashev, is anchored off the Syrian coast. Another ship, the Alpha Hermes, has stopped off the Syrian coast and is now heading to the Egyptian port of Alexandria. Syria previously handled wheat imports through tenders. But international sanctions have made Syria increasingly rely on international intermediary networks to secure Russian shipments. Syrian sources say the new government is planning to either reorganize the old import authority or create ...