UN, AU welcome signing of grain deal in Turkey
The United Nations and the African Union (AU) have welcomed the signing in Turkey of an agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, describing it as “successful development” for the continent which faces an increased risk of famine.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have signed a UN-backed deal aimed at allowing grain exports to leave Ukraine to help ease a global food crisis.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed separate mirror agreements with the United Nations and Turkey on July 22 that UN chief Antonio Guterres said will benefit developing countries “on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine.”
Guterres thanked Russia and Ukraine for having “overcome their differences to make room for an initiative that serves all,” stressing that the “initiative must be fully implemented because the world so desperately needs it.”
The AU said in a statement Saturday that “the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat welcomes the signing by Russia and Ukraine of agreements under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the export of grain and agricultural products via the Black Sea. The Chairperson of the Commission commends all the Parties on this successful development.”
Faki Mahamat also congratulated Macky Sall, President of Senegal and current Chair of the AU, for having called for the urgent need for the resumption of cereals exports from Ukraine and Russia to global markets.
The agreement to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports was signed in Istanbul on Friday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the signing ceremony along with representatives from Russia and Ukraine.
This agreement involves the export of grain, foodstuff, and fertilizers across the Black Sea from ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne .
The deal came after a general agreement was reached between the parties on an UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul on July 13 to form a coordination center to carry out joint inspections at the entrance and exit of the harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.
This agreement should bring relief to the countries that depend on the Russian and Ukrainian markets, which represent together 30% of the global wheat trade.
