Russia and Ukraine
signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations to enable the
export of millions of tons of grains needed across the world.
The agreement was reached on Friday, according to The
Washington Post.
The deal hopes to restart grain exports from Ukraine’s Black
Sea ports that have been blocked since Russia’s invasion and ease the ravaging global food crisis.
Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister and Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukrainian infrastructure minister, signed separate deals with Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general and Hulusi Akar, the Turkish defence minister.
The ceremony was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan.
“Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of
hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more
than ever,” Guterres said at the signing ceremony while addressing the Russian
and Ukrainian representatives.
“You have overcome obstacles and put aside differences to
pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all.”
The landmark agreement comes after five months of conflict
between both countries.
Both countries are among the world’s top exporters of
agricultural products.
Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat,
corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s invasion of the country and naval blockade
of its ports have halted shipments.
The deal follows a tentative agreement reached last week by
Ukrainian and Russian military delegations on a UN plan that would allow Russia
to export its grain and fertilisers.
The deal will enable Ukraine to export 22 million tons of
grain and other agricultural products stuck in Black Sea ports due to the war.
Guterres said the plan, known as the “Black Sea Initiative,”
would open a path for significant volumes of commercial food exports from three
key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea: Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny”.
It would “bring relief for developing countries on the edge
of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine.”
“It will help stabilise global food prices, which were
already at record levels even before the war – a true nightmare for developing
countries,” Guterres added.
From high oil prices to soaring food prices, low-income
economies have been mostly affected by the cascading effects of the conflict.
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