The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Ukrainian grain exports would begin soon, noting that the Istanbul deal could fall apart if Moscow’s agricultural exports continue to face obstacles.
He said: The process of grain export from Russia and Ukraine should start at the same time.
Meanwhile, a senior Turkish official said today that the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain is likely to leave a Black Sea port this week.
“It will not take more than a few days, as the ship will load the first grain this week and it will be exported from Ukraine,” the official said, according to Reuters.
Ebrahim Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesman, also announced the possibility of transferring 50 million tons of grain from Ukraine and Russia with the coordination of the Istanbul Grain Center by the end of this year.
He also said that only agricultural products will be allowed to be transported through the safe grain corridor, and this will be monitored by the joint coordination center established in Istanbul, which will be opened today.
He also explained that the departure of grain ships from Ukrainian ports will be completely under the control of local authorities, and then these ships will follow a specific route that will inform the center of Istanbul at each stage and when they enter Turkish territorial waters. According to a Bloomberg report, the ships will continue to be monitored and will be inspected at a designated point near Istanbul.
Kalin said: By the end of this year, with the coordination of the Istanbul Grain Center, which will be under the supervision of the United Nations, 40 to 50 million tons of grain can be transported from Russia and Ukraine to the world markets. According to him, there are 20-25 tons of grain in Ukrainian warehouses and 25-30 tons in Russian warehouses.
Inspections based on the Black Sea Grain Export Agreement will be carried out by Turkish employees of the Joint Coordination Center and are expected to be carried out in the Mersi Turkili area on Istanbul Road.
It is worth noting that last Friday the representatives of Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul that allows Kiev to resume the transportation of its grain from the Black Sea to world markets under the supervision of the United Nations.
The two sides reached an initial agreement on a UN plan that would allow Ukraine to export 25 million tons of grain and other agricultural products stuck in its Black Sea ports, where Kyiv authorities have deployed hundreds of sea mines.
This agreement includes the intervention of the United Nations to remove indirect western and international restrictions imposed on Russian grains and fertilizers.
It is worth noting that food prices have risen dramatically in the world after the Russian military operation in Ukraine last February, as shipments from the ports of Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporters, were stopped, and the crisis hit especially the poorest countries. impressed.
Source: Lebanon Debate
