Russian officers took an active part in the preparation of the operation to leave the first ship with food from the port of Odessa.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

“Management of the humanitarian operation for the release of the first vessel with agricultural products was planned with the active participation of Russian officers who are part of the joint coordination center in Istanbul,” the report says.

It is noted that the vessel loaded with corn should arrive in the water area of ​​the port of Istanbul on August 2.

“On August 1, at about 09:20 Moscow time, the Razoni vessel under the flag of Sierra Leone, as part of the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food from the Ports of Ukraine, left the port of Odessa.

The sea corridor, along which the Razoni vessel moves, passes in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, ”the department noted.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov called the dispatch of the first ship with grain "a very, very positive" fact.

In his opinion, there is a "good opportunity" to test the implementation of the agreements concluded during the Istanbul negotiations.

“Let's hope that all agreements will be implemented from all sides and that they will work effectively,” he said.

On July 22, Istanbul hosted the signing of two related documents aimed at solving the problems of food and fertilizer supplies to world markets.

On behalf of the Russian side, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, took part in the ceremony.

The first memorandum speaks of the UN's obligations to remove various restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets.

The second document establishes an algorithm for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products from the Black Sea ports controlled by Ukraine.

At the heart of the latter is a mechanism proposed by Moscow that provides for a maritime humanitarian corridor through which commercial ships can safely travel to and from Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea ports.

António Guterres welcomed the departure of the Razoni ship with a cargo of 26,000 tons of corn from Odessa to the Lebanese port of Tripoli.

According to him, the ability to ensure the delivery of grains and food products to global markets is a humanitarian necessity.

The UN Secretary General also positively noted the efforts of the joint coordination center established in Istanbul under the auspices of the UN and including representatives of Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

“The Secretary General hopes that this will be the first of many merchant ships under the signed initiative and will bring the necessary stability and contribute to global food security, especially in the most humanitarianly vulnerable regions,” the statement said.

It is also noted that the World Food Program plans to "purchase, load and send 30 thousand tons of wheat from Ukraine on a UN-chartered ship."

  • Vessel Razoni

  • © TURKISH NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, in turn, hopes that the agreements will be implemented in the future.

He expressed gratitude to the Russian and Ukrainian sides for their contribution to the implementation of the agreement.

“Today, the joint coordination center in Istanbul is the only platform where representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine work together.

The trust shown by the parties to Turkey is a source of pride for our country,” Anadolu quoted him as saying.

The head of the Turkish Ministry of Defense also said that the term of the grain agreement is 120 days, but it can be extended: "The main thing in this matter is to ensure the humanitarian needs of people."

At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed hope that the so-called food deal would become the basis "to ensure a ceasefire and stable peace" in Ukraine.