Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin pointed out that “ships loaded with grain in accordance with the Istanbul agreement between Ukraine and Russia can leave within two weeks.”

Kalin confirmed in statements to Bloomberg that “if this development continues and is supported by all parties, it will also help build confidence between the two sides and pave the way for ceasefire agreements, prisoner exchanges and peace.”

He explained that “the coordination center to be established in Istanbul (to oversee the shipment of grain) will include representatives of the 4 parties”, noting that “Turkey was concerned when last Saturday there was an attack (on the Ukrainian port Odessa), and immediately discussed the issue with the Russian and Ukrainian sides.

He stressed that the shipping operations include only grain products, and the ships loaded with them will be subject to control at all stages under the supervision of the Coordination Center in Istanbul.

On July 22, under the auspices of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the signing ceremony of the “Document on the initiative for the safe delivery of grain and food from the ports of Ukraine” between Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the UN was held in Istanbul.