Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the “grain agreement” for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products via the Black Sea has been extended for two months. He published telegram post.
“It was decided to extend the agreement on the Black Sea grain corridor for two months,” Erdogan said.
He called the decision vital to ensuring the smooth functioning of global food supply chains. The Turkish leader has promised to do everything possible to ensure that the terms of the agreement are respected.
Erdogan thanked Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensyy, as well as UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The extension of the “grain agreement” for two months was also confirmed by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, reports an Russian media correspondent. At the same time, she noted that the distortions in the execution of the grain agreement should be corrected “as soon as possible”.
“Thus, there is a chance, not in words, but in deeds, to help ensure global food security, first of all, to help the countries that need it most,” Zakharova said.
The “Grain Agreement” was concluded by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN on July 22, 2022. The agreement provides for the export of grain, foodstuffs and of Ukrainian fertilizers through the Black Sea via a humanitarian corridor from three ports – Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk.
As part of the agreement, a memorandum was also signed to facilitate the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets. The Russian side has declared that it does not respect the second part of the agreement.
In March, the Russian authorities announced the extension of the “grain agreement” for 60 days instead of the expected 120 – until May 18. On May 11, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said the initiative would stop working if Moscow did not receive guarantees that its demands would be met by May 18. On May 17, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed Turkish officials, that the deal would be extended.
On April 24 in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Meets with UN Secretary General António Guterres. The Secretary General handed Lavrov a letter to Vladimir Putin, in which he described ways to expand and expand the “grain agreement”, taking into account the positions expressed by the parties. Similar messages were sent by the Secretary General to Ukraine and Turkey.
Read more about the “Grains Agreement” and the Russia-UN Memorandum here.
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