Turkish President’s Office announced… Russia’s silence, Ukraine ‘may be agreed’
Pay attention to whether 20 million tons of grain in Odessaint will be released amid the global food crisis
“Stop attacking Russia when transporting grain… Ukraine passes through mine seas, India”
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the possibility of releasing 20 million tons of grain tied up in Odessaan, Ukraine, to the global market experiencing a food crisis through the Black Sea has opened up.
The Office of the President of Turkiye (Turkey) announced on the 21st (local time) that Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkiye (Turkey) will sign a grain export agreement through the Black Sea.
The Turkish President’s Office explained that the signing ceremony of the agreement to be held at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on the 22nd will be presided over by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkiye and will be attended by delegations from Ukraine and Russia.
Russia took no position on the news that an agreement was imminent.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the BBC, “The United Nations-led talks on lifting the export blockade are scheduled to be held on the 22nd, and an agreement may be signed.”
Previously, delegations from Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations, and Turkey held a four-party negotiations in Istanbul on the 14th and agreed on the principle of joint control over grain import and export ports along with the establishment of the Security Coordination Center for the Black Sea Route.
The delegations agreed to resume negotiations this week to review the details and to sign a final agreement.
Ukrainian ambassador to the UN Serhiy Kislicha said, “The devil is in the details,” suggesting that an agreement has not yet been fully finalized.
He said, “All parties are still negotiating.
If the deal is finalized and goes into effect as it is, a huge number of ships could enter and exit the Ukrainian port.
Then 20 million tons of grain can be exported.
The preparations are already complete,” he explained.
Ukraine’s maritime export route, the Black Sea, was blocked due to fighting after the outbreak of the Ukraine War on February 24 this year due to a Russian invasion.
20 million tons of grain from Ukraine, a major exporter of grains such as wheat, barley, and sunflower seeds, continues to fail in Odessaan.
Importing countries that are highly dependent on Ukrainian grains, such as Africa and the Middle East, suffered difficulties, and the global food market was shocked by price hikes.
The agreement, reported by the BBC on the same day, included the cessation of Russian troops’ attacks when grain carriers move from Odessaan, Ukraine.
In addition, it includes the content that the Ukrainian ships will guide the route so that the transport ship can pass the Odessa mine-laid sea area, and in the process, Turkiye will inspect the import and export vessels to prevent the smuggling or export of weapons that the Russian side is concerned about. done.
While the US welcomed the news of the imminent settlement of the agreement, it voiced criticism toward Russia.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Ned Price said, “This situation shouldn’t have been created in the first place.
“It was a deliberate decision by Russia to weaponize food.”
Ukraine has argued that the Russian navy’s blockade of the Black Sea has limited exports of grain and other items.
There are also allegations that the Russian military is stealing grain from Ukrainian farmers.
On the other hand, Russia’s position is that its military has never blocked ports, and Ukraine has laid mines to block entry and exit.
They claim that the global food crisis is also a side effect caused by the blockade of Russian food and fertilizer exports due to Western economic sanctions against Russia.
Turkiye, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Western military alliance, and maintaining relatively close relations with Russia, has been mediating negotiations between Russia and Ukraine with the United Nations to resolve this situation.
/yunhap news