ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa on Monday as part of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that is expected to release large stocks of Ukrainian crops to foreign markets and alleviate rising hunger. . a crisis.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said that the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni has departed from Odessa to Lebanon. The United Nations said in a statement that Razoni transported more than 26 thousand tons of corn.
Data from the Razoni Automatic Identification System, a ship safety tracker at sea, showed that the ship was slowly leaving its dock in Odessa port on Monday morning, accompanied by a tugboat.
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— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) 28 May 2022
Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov tweeted a video showing a long cargo ship signaling as it set sail.
“The first grain ship left the port after the Russian occupation,” Kubrakov said on Twitter. “Thanks to the support of all our partner countries and the UN, we were able to fully implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul. It is important for us to be one of the guarantors of food safety.”
The ministry said the ship is expected to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday, where it will be inspected before progress is allowed.
stop world hunger with @FAME, @EU_Commission, #G7. The first ship left the port of Odessa on February 24, 2022. pic.twitter.com/Nin8nSV8LM
— Alexander Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) August 1, 2022
Egypt will travel to Lebanon, a small Middle Eastern country facing what the World Bank has called one of the world’s worst financial crises in more than 150 years. An explosion in Beirut’s main port in 2020 devastated the capital and destroyed warehouses there, some of which collapsed in a week-long fire on Sunday alone.
As Razoni sailed towards the open waters of the Black Sea, he changed his target from Istanbul to Tripoli, Lebanon.
The Turkish ministry said in a statement that other ships would also leave the safe corridors from Ukrainian ports under the agreements signed in Istanbul on July 22, but did not provide further details.
Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the UN, which paved the way for Ukraine, one of the world’s main breadbaskets, which paved the way for the export of 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products stuck in the Black Sea ports due to Russian intervention. infestation
The agreements also allow Russia to export grain and fertilizer.
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Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure said another 16 ships blocked since Russia started on Feb. 24 are waiting in line at Odessa ports.
Kubrakov said the supplies would also help Ukraine’s war-ravaged economy.
“The opening of ports will bring at least $1 billion in foreign currency gains to the economy and will give the agricultural sector an opportunity to plan for the next year,” Kubrakov said.
The United Nations welcomed this development, saying that Secretary-General António Guterres hopes it will be just the first of many commercial vessels transporting Ukrainian grain abroad, “bringing much-needed stability and particularly facilitating much-needed global food security.” sensitive. countries.” humanitarian context.
The resumption of grain shipments comes amid conflicts in other parts of Ukraine.
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The Office of the President of Ukraine said that at least three civilians were killed and 16 injured as a result of the Russian attack on the Donetsk region last day.
Donetsk Governor Pavel Kirilenko repeated an urgent call to evacuate all residents. He emphasized that approximately 52 thousand children left behind in the region should be evacuated.
Two people were injured as a result of the attack of Russian troops in Kharkov in the morning. One person was injured while waiting for a bus at a bus stop, another was injured when a Russian shell exploded near a residential building.
The southern city of Nikolaev also suffered repeated shelling, as a result of which a fire broke out near a medical facility and a humanitarian shipment containing medicine and food was destroyed.
Analysts have warned that the ongoing war could jeopardize the grain deal and frustrate customers.
“The risk remains: the Odessa region is under constant bombardment, and only regular deliveries can confirm the viability of the signed agreements,” said Vladimir Sidenko, an expert at the Razumkov think tank Center in Kiev.
“The departure of the first ship will not solve the food crisis, this is the first step and could be the last if Russia decides to continue its offensive in the south.”
Food crisis: Ukraine and Russia sign agreement to restart grain exportshttps://t.co/EYDI1WGHZj
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 22, 2022
Source: Breitbart
