Turkey: progress between Russia and Ukraine on grain export
Wheat stored in a post-harvest terminal in the Odessa region of Ukraine, June 23, 2022. © Igor Tkachenko/REUTERS
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Turkey displayed its optimism on Wednesday July 13 in the difficult file of Ukrainian cereal exports following a meeting in Istanbul between Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish military experts and in the presence of UN representatives.
According to the Turkish Defense Minister, Russia and Ukraine have made enough progress to have new discussions on the subject as early as next week and, perhaps, to sign an agreement.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul,
Anne Andlauer
An agreement between
Kyiv
and Moscow on
the resumption of grain deliveries from
Ukrainian Black Sea ports would only be a matter of days away.
In any case, this is the conclusion of the Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, after the meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday July 13 – the first for more than three months between Ukrainian and Russian representatives.
“
Really substantial progress
” has been made, commented UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who said he hoped that a “
formal agreement
” could be concluded soon.
“
Today in Istanbul we saw a momentous step, a step forward in ensuring the safe and secure export of Ukrainian food products across the Black Sea
,” he continued.
We have a glimmer of hope for alleviating human suffering and alleviating world hunger
”.
► To listen: Cereals, fertilizers, energy: how to avoid a famine in Africa?
“
The Ukrainian delegation has informed me that progress has been made.
We will agree on the details with the Secretary General of the United Nations in the coming days
,” President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted in the evening.
Technical consensus
Although an agreement has not yet been signed, the two belligerents would indeed have reached a consensus on the main technical aspects: joint controls at the points of departure and arrival of ships in ports and security guarantees along the maritime.
A "
coordination center
" of grain corridors should be created in Istanbul, in which all parties will be represented.
According to the Turkish minister, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have agreed to meet next week in Turkey.
A meeting to "
go over all the details
", with the objective of signing an agreement.
This glimmer of hope comes against a backdrop of rising global food prices.
Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat and other grains but since the Russian invasion its exports have been blocked in the Black Sea by Russian warships and mines placed by kyiv.
The agreement negotiated by Antonio Guterres for more than two months aims not only to bring out through the Black Sea some 20 million tonnes of cereals blocked in Ukrainian silos, in particular in Odessa (south), but to facilitate Russian exports of grain and fertilizer.
So many products that are sorely lacking on the world market.
(With AFP)
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