Natalia Chi
united nations – After intense negotiations by UN officials, including the secretary-general, and multiple shuttle trips to Kiev, Moscow and Istanbul, Russia agreed to a so-called extension. black sea grains initiative.
The deal, which would allow continued exports of vital grain supplies from Ukraine, was due to expire Saturday night. Shipments from Ukraine are an integral part of the food supply of countries ranging from North Africa to the Middle East to South Asia. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, typically supplying around 45 million tons of grain. united nations
“This initiative will enable us to facilitate safe navigation for the export of grains and related food products, as well as fertilizers, including ammonia, from designated Ukrainian ports,” the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stephan Dujarik, said in a statement. I will do it,” he said. “In his first two terms, about 25 million tons of grain and food products moved to 45 countries, helping to lower global food prices and stabilize markets.”
A sudden halt in shipments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago sent prices skyrocketing and threatened millions of people with hunger. Grain shipments resumed in July under a UN-brokered deal and the deal was extended last November.
However, as the war raged, Russia’s extension of the agreement was called into question due to Russian complaints about fertilizer exports.
“The continuation of the Black Sea Grains Initiative is critical to global food security,” the United Nations said on Monday. there is,” he said.
Even if an agreement is reached, the number of days the contract will be extended remains “vague”, with the extension delayed to 11 hours, a source close to the negotiations told CBS News.
Ukraine’s Reconstruction and Infrastructure Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kublakov on Saturday murmured The initiative was extended for 120 days, as Ukraine wanted. At the Security Council on Friday, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, said Russia had notified Turkey and Ukraine that they would agree to her 60-day agreement.
After meetings between the Russian and UN delegations in Geneva last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said: announced On Monday, Russia announced it was “ready to accept” the 60-day extension.
Rebecca Grinspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, met with a Russian delegation headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister in Geneva on Monday. . Minister.
Discussions focused on both the Black Sea Grains Initiative involving Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, and an agreement between Russia and the United Nations to boost Russia’s food and fertilizer exports.
“The two agreements have allowed millions of tons of grain to reach global markets and have had a positive impact on global food security,” a UN humanitarian agency official said in a statement.
The agreement was critical to UN humanitarian agencies’ efforts to alleviate the deepening food crisis in the world’s poorest regions. Secretary-General António Guterres said the deal “contributed to lowering the cost of food in the world and provided a significant relief to those who pay a high price for this war, especially in developing countries”. .
Thanking Turkey for its joint management of the agreement, the United Nations said the Black Sea Grains Initiative, with its memorandum of understanding on marketing Russian food and fertilizers to the world market, is “a significant contribution to the world’s food supply, especially for developing countries.” It’s important for security,” he said.
Pamela Falk
